Matters of Family
by EmperorV14
Summary: Having siblings can be somewhat stressful at times. But having 10 of them? That's even more stressful. To top it all of an ancient prophecy that details the end of the world with you as the child of the prophecy? Super stressful. And now there's a war too? Can things get any worse? No don't answer that.
1. Of twins and bandits

_**(Brave Shine- Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works)**_

* * *

Naruko's eye's opened at an incredible speed. The sunlight poured through the windows and coated her room with an uncomfortable amount of sunlight. She had to shield her eyes from the shine off of her lamp. Groaning, she sat up in her bed and looked around, her eyes immediately glancing towards their sleek digital clock.

"11! Fuck! We're late!" Naruko's hands moved to her mouth instantly and looked down at the bottom bunk. And there Naruto lay, sleeping, sleeping like a rock. Like his twin sister didn't just yell like someone was about to murder her. Sighing, Naruko jumped down from her bunk bed, grabbed her towel off a chair in the corner, and made her way over to the bathroom.

Quickly, showering, Naruko slipped on her favourite red, midriff length jacket, a black shirt and a skirt and leggings combo. _What to do now? Naruto obviously isn't going to wake up that easily. But, I have to try at least!_

After shaking her brother multiple times, Naruko was sure that he would be waking up soon. Obviously she was wrong. The blond sighed loudly and walked away from the bed. She took a couple of steps back and observed her twin. They both had the same bright golden locks, though Naruko's was obviously better. Their eye's, while both blue were different shades of blue. Naruto's was baby blue and Naruko's were electric blue.

Seeing that there would be no other way, Naruko bit her lip. Her tactics weren't working, and they usually did. Well to Sakurai they did. Then again, her pink-haired teammate was a light sleeper. A smile forms on her face. It's gone almost immediately though, as Naruko focuses on the task at hand. Waking up her extremely heavy sleeper of a brother.

"Dude! Wake up already!" She practically yelled. Naruto rolled over and mumbled something in his sleep.

"A couple more minutes' babe…" Babe? Shaking away the disturbing thought, Naruko was glad that she was finally getting some progress! Albeit very little, but at least its progress.

"This is why we need another alarm clock." As soon as the thought appeared in her mind, Naruko shook it off. That wouldn't work, considering how many of those they chewed through in a single week. She looked around the room for ideas that would wake her brother up.

Their room was almost as big as their classroom when the two of them were still in the academy. It was dominated by their king sized bunk bed, with its elegantly crafted, and giant wooden frame. Her velvet sheets were perfectly organized while his were strewn about. Then again, she was awake and he was asleep. To her right was giant, full length mirror. Adjacent to it was their wardrobe and to its side was a mini-fridge. Hmm. Maybe it had some leftover ramen in it…No. Naruto refused to put any of the sacred food in there, for fear that his twin's dango stash would taint his ramen.

With a loud sigh, Naruko turned around and entered their seldom used bathroom. Turning the water on, Naruko splashed her face, in hopes that the cold water would give her an idea. It didn't. Walking out, she was considering using _that_ tactic. All of her other siblings agreed to only use it when there was no other way. And from the looks of it, there's no other way, but to use it.

"Yo, Naruto! If you don't wake up, Kenji and Tsugumi will have eaten all of the remaining ramen!" As soon as those words left her mouth, Naruto was up and awake, with his eyes wide as plates.

"You are an evil, evil person." And with those words he got up. Quickly grabbing his towel Naruto entered his bathroom and turned on the water. "GAH! You used all the hot water!" His sister's laughter could be heard all the way inside the closed off room.

After a very quick 2 minute shower, the door to the bathroom slammed open and out came Naruto struggling to put his pants on, and with his shirt backwards.

"You look so hot right now."

Naruto shot a quick glare at his sister and fixed his shirt, before putting his pants on. _Correctly_. "That's not something a guy want's to hear from his sister. Especially his twin."

"Bah, details, details."

"Anyways, why'd you wake me up so early?"

"Early? Early!? It's 11! I'll be surprised if we aren't late for the team meeting!"

With one final smoothing of his shirt Naruto finished up his look. "Look at it this way, we won't be later than Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruko could feel her left eye twitching. "The meeting was supposed to start at 8!"

"OK. So we'll be just as late as Kakashi-sensei."

"Just hurry up." Naruko left the room hastily, her boots squeaking against the hardwood floor of their home. She could hear the door close behind her, as well as her brother's grumbling stomach. "I hope there's no breakfast left."

Naruto couldn't help but grin at that statement. "Harsh."

"Specifically ramen."

"Okay, you just the crossed the line."

The sound of their feet on wood could be heard all the way downstairs. Their mother Kushina, smiled and laid out the final bowl of ramen. It would be the 23rd bowl of the morning. Seems like a lot doesn't it? Not if you live in a house full of Uzumaki.

"Ohayo!" Naruko's voice called out, then came Naruto's quieter and more subdued voice. Kushina couldn't help but look proud at her children. They looked gorgeous. Naruko still wore that big red jacket that was way too big for her at one time. Now it fit her perfectly and even showed off her now visible curves. Along with the short skirt-thigh high leggings combo, Kushina was sure her daughter would attract boys. If not for the fact that she already has a boyfriend.

"What's for breakfast?" Then there was son, wearing the same short-sleeved red hoodie that he wore every day. If it weren't for the fact that she knew he had duplicates, Kushina would start pushing her son to start wearing different stuff. Like his sister, he surely attracted girls and maybe even some boys to himself. Though she was sure that Sayoko would chase them off and threaten to kill them for looking at her brother's best friend and total not crush before vehemently denying that she did it for him.

Shaking off her ramblings, Kushina handed her son and daughter a pair of chopsticks each. "Here ya go! It's the usual! Ramen!"

Naruko frowned. "But we have ramen for breakfast like every day!"

Both mother and son looked at Naruko like she was Madara Uchiha reborn. "Is that a bad thing?" Naruko shook her head rapidly. "Thought so." Naruko felt a shiver go down her spine. When it came to ramen some of her family members sure could get scary.

"Speaking of which, you gonna eat that?" Naruto asked, nodding his head in the direction in which her bowl sat, untouched. The twin-tailed blonde shook her head. "More for me then!" He quickly and greedily declared.

"Just hurry up imouto-chan!"

At that Naruto stopped to give her a strange look. "O.K. There are two things wrong with that statement. First off, I'm not a girl and secondly I was born ten minutes earlier than you. Right mom?" Kushina shook her head vigorously, too engrossed in her own bowl of ramen to care.

"Who cares? Just hurry up or we'll be even later!"

"Can you two be any louder!?" A disgruntled and throaty voice cried out. Naruko turned her head towards the door and saw her older brother leaning against the doorway, with a murderous glare fixated on Naruto.

"I thought you were sleeping. On the couch. Not really the best place to sleep you know." Kushina stood up and filled herself up a glass of cold water.

"I was. Then the brats came downstairs in the most obnoxious way possible."

Naruko snorted. "Even worse than when you come home after a night of partying Kenji?" Her brother then turned his glare onto her.

"And your point? I at least try to be quiet."

"And you're doing such a fantastic job of it."

Her twin couldn't help but snicker at that. "She got you there bro." Kenji seemed content to continue glaring at the twins. Naruko's ears perked up when the sound of footsteps approaching reached them. Looking to her right was one of their older sisters, Tsugumi. Her long red hair, unkempt and unruly, going all over the place. She was still in her pajamas as well.

"What's up squirts? Kenji." She strode towards them. "I heard screaming, and seeing as how short, pale and grumpy is here, I assume it has something to do with his beauty sleep?"

Kenji's face twisted in anger as his brow began to twitch. "Short? I am not short!"

Tsugumi snorted and strolled forward and plucked Naruto's second bowl of ramen from his hands. "Compared to me, you're short."

"That doesn't count because you're older than me and thus, have had more time to grow."

"You're 18. You should have reached you're peak height by now." She then turned to the two twins. "You two best get going now. Don't want to keep the pervert waiting do you?" She pretended to think before opening her mouth once more. "Then again, aren't all men who've been in contact with Jiraiya-sama perverts?"

"Don't generalize us."

"Yeah, you're on a category of your own, Kenji." The twins turned to each other, with utterly confused looks on their face.

"Did Tsugumi just…compliment Kenji?" Naruko shivered and ran over to the door and began to put her sandals on. Her twin looked back at their older siblings in fear.

"W-wait for me! Don't leave me with these demons!" He frantically shovelled noodles into his mouth before stumbling over to his sandals. The older siblings and their mother looked on with amusement as the two twins scrambled out of the Namikaze Mansion.

"You know, I'm surprised Arashi still hasn't promoted them to jonin by now. Or at least chunin you know." Kenji turned to Tsugumi with a look.

"You know Arashi doesn't do that shit. He promotes people based on their merits, not their relations and bloodlines. Then again, a civilian like you wouldn't know that."

"Bastard! I may not be a shinobi like you, but I'm still pretty strong!"

Kenji smirked. "I never said you weren't strong, just that a civilian like you…"

"Oh my god! Shut up!"

Kenji shrugged. "Fine. You don't deserve to hear my magnificent voice anyway."

"Who would want to listen to a voice that always sounds as if it's going to murder them in their sleep, and then eat their puppies?"

"At least I'm not a 22 year old still living with their parents!"

"You're 18."

Kenji raised his finger, mouth open and ready to make a snarky comeback. Until he started to think about it all. "You have a good point."

* * *

 **Training Field 7**

* * *

With a loud sigh, Sayoko Uchiha looked around the field, scanning for the Namikaze twins. Looking down at her scroll, she narrows her eyes. Has she read this before? Yep. These are the instructions for the Shadow Shuriken jutsu. Another loud sigh escapes her lips. Snickering. Sayoko could hear someone snickering. Turning her head, Sasuke's twin sees the pink haired medic peeking out from behind a tree just a few feet away.

"What do you want Sakurai? I have things to do." The pink haired boy waved and walked forward towards her with an apple in hand. "Are you eating an apple so you look more like an asshole?" Sayoko let a grin form on her face.

"Oh har har, very funny. What I'm wondering is: What are your thoughts on this whole villages disappearing business?" Ah yes. For the last year or so, settlements all throughout the continent were more or less being sacked. Now this is a fairly normal occasion. And this would be considered pretty normal, if not for the fact that there is a pattern. Every month or so, a village that has had fairly close ties with the Leaf has just disappeared off the map.

Sayoko tilted her head slightly to side. "It's probably nothing we can't handle." Though the fact that one of the many leaf tied villages was home to a bunch of Uchiha who had left the village years ago, didn't exactly give her a good night's sleep.

Team 7's medic smiled at her and rubbed the back of his head. "You think so huh? I suppose you're right, I mean as long Arashi-sama is here anyways."

The Uchiha returned the gesture. "Yeah, I mean nothing can be worse than the Kyubi attack or the Kaguya incident right?" She let out a deep sigh and let her head rest on her hand.

"You know, if you keep sighing like that, I'll be forced to believe that you're hopelessly in love with our leader." Shooting a glare across to her teammate did little to stifle his laughter.

"Why do people keep saying that!?"

Sakurai let a bewildered look onto his face. "Because it's true!?"

"It is not! And so help me, I will castrate you if you bring it up one more time!"

"Calm down Sayoko. Teasing my sister is my job though Sakurai not yours." Sasuke speaks up from his seat beside the riverbed. In his hands is his Katana which he promptly takes a quick glance at. "Damn, a scratch." He mutters under his breath.

"Well you're gonna have some competition when Naruto eventually moves in with you when they get married." Sakurai leaned back and looked away from Sayoko's murderous glare which was burning holes into the side of his head.

His raven-haired teammate raised an eyebrow at the statement. "Who says he's gonna go and live with us? If anything they'll move out so there would actually be some peace and quiet."

"Nah, that ain't his style. He's more likely to leave the village in search of adventure."

Sasuke looked up and thought about it before shaking his head. "No, leaving the village in search of adventure is something I'm more likely to do than Naruto."

Sayoko looked at her two teammates with a mortified look as they continued to discuss her non-existent post marriage life. "Please stop!"

From his perch, Kakashi looked down at his students with an amused smile on his face. It reminded him of his old team. Except for the fact that there were only 3 members on his team compared to his 5 students. Bringing his head up, Kakashi spotted the last two members of his unique 6 man squad sprinting towards them, their blonde hair sticking out like a sore thumb in the ocean of green and brown and blue that was the wilderness.

Jumping down from his lookout, Kakashi whistled, his little students turning to look at him. "All right team, calm down, I have spotted our two teammates from my perch of innocence. They should be here very, very soon. " His cute little students looked at each other.

"He named it?" Sasuke whispered to Sayoko who held a hand to her mouth, which did little to cover up her laughter. The pink haired medic of the group merely raised his eyebrow.

"Perch of Innocence my ass." Sakurai stated, his face blank.

"Ah you wound me greatly Sakura-chan!" Sakurai's eye twitched in annoyance as Kakashi's trademark eye smile made its way onto his face.

"First off, I may have pink hair, but that doesn't mean I'm a girl and secondly I hate cherry blossoms." Said medic shot back at his sensei who merely waved him off and pointed out to the hill where their remaining teammates were. Naruko grinned and waved at her best friend.

"Sayoko-chan! I have tell you something!" The two girls ran off to the side where the boys wouldn't be able to hear them even with their enhanced hearing.

"What's up guys…What you are wearing!?" Naruto screamed in fake terror and hid behind his pink haired medic and cowered in pretend fear. Sasuke looked down at his outfit. A black long sleeved and high collared shirt with the Uchiha fan on the back and a pair of black shorts with his legs taped up.

"What's wrong with this?"

Naruto peaked out from Sakurai's shoulders and screamed. "Don't you mean what isn't wrong with it!?" Of course, Naruto was simply overreacting.

"Anyways, why so late?" Sakurai asked, shoving the other boy away from his personal space bubble. "And don't tell me there was no ramen to eat. Or do I need to remind you that your family owns an entire warehouse full of ramen ingredients, thus making it impossible to run out of said ramen?"

"I just overslept…Ow! The hell man?" the blonde rubbed the now red and throbbing spot on his cheek. He glared at the other boy.

"That is because you are heaviest sleeper in the entire fucking village, unless ramen is involved." Sasuke piped up from behind the two who ignored him and continued to argue like a bunch of brats.

"…How dare you!? It is a family tradition to have at least one bowl of Ramen with every meal!"

"That's not healthy you know!" Naruko cried out as she and Sayoko approached, the latter with a very noticeable and prominent blush on her cheeks. "It's fine to have it once a day, but to have it every meal? That doesn't seem right. And don't even get me started on the fact that you have at least 4 bowls every meal."

"Well that's because I'm a growing boy!"

Kakashi decided to voice his opinion as well. "I'm surprised you aren't diabetic. Then again with how much of a training freak you are, I'm not surprised." He then corralled his team into a small semi-circle on the grass in front of him. "Anyways, time to brief you on the mission."

"You took a mission without asking us first?" The male Uchiha raised his brow in disbelief.

"Wait! I though this meeting was about the chunin exams!?" Sakurai sounded really confused for some reason.

"Well your little sister lied to you to get your lazy ass here." Kakashi exclaimed cheerfully. "As I was saying before I was interrupted…"

"But I don't have sister…Right?"

"Of course you do. It's Sakura right? Your identical twin sister who looks like a female version of thou?" Kakashi answered wiggling his visible eyebrow at Sakurai who looked like he was questioning life itself.

"Wait just a minute, Sasuke told me the same thing!" Sayoko pointed an accusing finger at her twin, who stared back with his trademark blank face.

"He did, but I'm not stupid, I've heard the news."

"What news?" The other set of twins and Sakurai asked out loud.

"That because of the outbreak of Civil war in Kumogakure, the exam won't be held there anymore and it's been postponed so that a new host village can be chosen." Sasuke then shot a look at his Sensei. "Let me guess, our mission is to try and rig the process so that Konoha is chosen?"

"Pfft! Not even close. What you've said is correct though, except for the part about rigging the choosing. No, in fact our mission is pretty simple. Raid a nearby bandit camp and remove their presence from the area." Kakashi had an uncharacteristic moment of uncontrollable laughter.

Naruto fist pumped the air. "Yes! An easy mission!" His twin's thought were quite the opposite.

"Aw…"

Sakurai smiled, stood up and started to make his way back to his house. "Sounds easy then! I'll see you guys at the gate!

Kakashi looked around at his remaining students. "Alright, dismissed! Meet at the main gate in an hour or so." The body flicker's signature puff of smoke and swirling leaves then were what became of the cyclops.

* * *

 **4 hours later…**

* * *

Sakurai looked at his cards with a melancholy expression, his eyes glazed over them. An 8 of spades and a 9 of hearts. He looked up at his opponent with trepidation. Then he spoked up. "I win."

Kakashi merely smiled and revealed his pair of cards, a Queen of hearts and a 9 of diamonds. "Really? Black Jack."

"Can you guys get over here!?" They turned their attention to an irate Naruko who had her hands on her hips.

"Alright then. Sasuke! Report!" Kakashi called out as he scanned the scene that lay before him. It was a bandit camp all right. Hard to tell, due to the level of organization there was from simply looking at the layout. It was also bigger than expected.

"The camp is divided into 4 sections. The top right seems to be the medical area, bottom right is the armoury. The section next to it is probably the mess hall and the one above it are definitely the sleeping quarters." Sasuke's eyes drift to a group of bandits training. "They look well trained and well equipped compared to normal bandits."

"Don't forget well organized. Anything else?"

A smirk made its way onto Sasuke's normally blank face. "Only one. They only have one exit. What for I have no clue. It's probably only big enough for their supply carts to fit through. For a well-organized camp, that detail was certainly overlooked."

Kakashi looked at his students as they lined up to either side of him with eager expressions. "All right here's the plan."

A confused look made its way onto Naruto's face. "Plan? We don't need a plan."

"Better safe than sorry. Besides my plan will cut the mission time in half." That lit up Naruto's eyes.

"Well what's the plan then!?"

"Hammer and Anvil. The "Hammer" will be made of Sasuke, Sakurai and Naruto who will force the bandits to try and flee through their one and only exit. The "Anvil will be made of Sayoko and Naruko. I will set up a bit farther back and take out any stragglers who somehow manage to escape. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Souta Mashiro didn't like this. What was so important about the box anyways? But he couldn't open it. Not if he wanted to risk killing himself and all of men. His employer was no ordinary man. The bandit leader had been around many powerful shinobi before yet none of them excreted darkness like this one. Looking across from him, he met those accursed demonic eyes.

"Are we clear Souta?" The bandit leader nodded. The cloth door flapped. Souta let out a breath that he wasn't aware he was holding in. That man, if he could even be called that, was not someone to be trifled with. Souta realized with shame that his hands were trembling. The very same hands that had murdered many, were now shaking with fear.

The wooden box that he was supposed to be protecting wasn't even that important looking, except for its impressively detailed figure head which was handcrafted by the finest woodworkers. Topping it off was a golden lid which shone abnormally bright. His two best men, Noburo and Rai were currently guarding the aforementioned chest.

A frown made its way onto Souta's scarred and more than always smug looking face. The issue of what was in the box just wouldn't leave his mind. Souta had to know. And he would get to the bottom of it no matter what.

* * *

Haruto Mori was simply doing his job, sharpening and cleaning all the spare swords in the armoury, when he noticed that a shadow was following him around. Turning around, the red-haired bandit caught a glimpse of a figure rushing past the corner of one of the tents.

"Stop fucking around Asayuki! Get back to…Oh God!" Haruto simply wasn't prepared for what he would see when he turned the corner. He certainly wasn't prepared to see his partner hanging from a stack of crates by his own guts which were spilling out. But that wasn't all as the bandit quartermaster noticed that the legs of his fellow bandit were attached by nothing more than strands of muscle.

Haruto then felt a sharp stabbing pain in his lower back before collapsing and falling face first onto a puddle of blood. "What the hell?" He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out as a kunai penetrated his neck and ripped right through his vocal cords. The last thing Haruto saw before he died was a foot. Said foot would smash his head into a million pieces and spread blood and grey matter all over the place.

Naruto watched his teammate work with a grimace. Sasuke returned to their hiding spot wiping the blood and brain matter off of his clothing. Their medic of a teammate then came jogging up to them.

"Explosives set. We should probably move back a bit." He stated, fiddling around with a small detonator. His hands too were covered in blood and guts. Literally.

"Alright."

* * *

Souta had no idea what was going on. One minute he dealing with his monster of an employer and then the next a massive fireball spread throughout his camp. He was currently walking to the where the chest was held in hopes that it was safe.

"Oi! Noburo! Rai! Is the box safe!? Shit."

A figure stood in a dark corner of the tent. Strewn around him were the bodies of Noburo and Rai as well as a few others. The figure stepped out of the shadows, with a dark and malicious aura shrouding his hand. "It seems that your services are no longer needed Souta-san. It's nothing personal, it's just that we need to clear cap space for some new and better talent in the free agent market."

A wave of killing intent so powerful and suffocating filled the room, brining Souta down to his knees. The amount of killing intent was more than that of Yagura when the seven swordsmen rebelled.

"Yes. That's exactly what you'll have to do to get your contract extension. Get on your knees and beg." Souta looked on with fear as his employer got closer and closer. "Don't worry. I'm not gonna kill you. I'm just going to fuck you up. Really. Really. Bad. And maybe some more."

Souta didn't even have a chance to scream before the hand cut through his body like a hot knife through butter.

* * *

Naruto ducked under a wild katana swing and then ran his entire fist and arm through the bandit's chest. Quickly ripping his arm out of the hole it created, the blonde swiftly deflected away another wild and sloppy attempt to attack him. Before he could counter though, the bandit's head flew from the body. A very familiar sound made its way to his ears. The sound of a sword being sheathed.

"Stop stealing my kill's man!" Sasuke simply smirked and flicked his wrist. A kunai flew out and over Naruto's shoulder and right between a bandit's eyes.

"Then stop talking and get onto killing."

A loud rumble made its way to their ears as the ground collapsed beneath a whole row of tents, killing all inside. Through the dust and debris, was Sakurai's pink hair that could be seen all the way from the moon. He was cracking his knuckles.

"Sasuke! Where's their boss? I think I saw their command tent, or what appeared to be their command tent but no one was in there."

The Uchiha activated his Sharingan and scanned the area once more. He made a noise that can only called- "Pure frustration." "There's no one that seems to be of importance because these guys are bandits. And besides, it doesn't matter."

Naruto left the two to their own devices as he deftly dodged another strike aimed at him. He then wrapped his arms around his attacker's waist and lifted and threw the bandit over his shoulder. A loud crash could be heard. The blonde sidestepped a jab and then shattered the bandit's blade before clotheslining the man's head clean off the body. "I think we should. Something feels off."

His raven haired teammate came up beside him. "You're talking about that massive wave of Killing Intent we sensed earlier right?" Naruto gave a nod. "All right, I'll try to find some way to determine who their leader was." Sasuke's eyes then darted to the right and he spun to right and dodged a lunging bandit who received a fistful of Sakurai's hand.

"Enough dillydallying and get back to work!"

Both Sasuke and Naruto scoffed. "Who made cotton candy here the boss?"

* * *

Naruko leaned her body 45 degrees to left and dodged the attack aimed at her. The blonde female clenched her fist, cocked it back and sent it flying into the man's nose. The sound of the ligaments in his nose breaking was pretty audible. Moving onto her next target, Naruko lowered her body and slammed her balled fist into the bandit's lower back. A loud crack signalled the breaking of his spine. Naruko lowered her head as the bandit's head flew of the body. Standing in front of her was her best friend.

"You know, if you used a katana instead of a wakizashi I'd have thought you were your brother." Seriously, if Sayoko's hair was shorter, you'd have thought that they were identical twins.

"But I'm obviously the better looking one right?" Slit throat.

"If I were a lesbian, yeah." Add another bandit that won't be able to walk again.

"Are you implying something there Naruko?" The two burst out in laughter. Naruko bent her back and was basically parallel to the ground and dodged a very close swing. She eyed the bandit in front of her like a lion stalking its prey. The bandit ran forward and let out a roar. The blonde went side to side, ducked under the slash and threw a chakra enhanced right hook. The bandits head exploded like a balloon.

"That's 35 points for Queen Naruko!"

Kakashi walked past the lines of bodies on either side of him. The silence was all he need to confirm that the mission was over, though the bodies sure did help. He stopped at the center of the camp where Sakurai was sitting down on a log trying to explain something to Naruto and Sasuke.

"…I'm telling you, whoever did that to him obviously knew what he was doing, otherwise he wouldn't be alive." Sakurai grabbed a towel and wiped his bloody hands.

"I still don't get it. Why would his own men try to kill him? Other than the fact that he could have been asshole." The blonde's brows were furrowed as his forehead scrunch up. "What do you think, Sasuke?"

"The person who did this couldn't have been one of the bandits. No matter how well trained, organized or equipped they are. Even if they did, based on Sakurai's diagnosis, it's safe to say that whoever did this has tremendous control over their chakra."

Kakashi sneaked past them and entered the bloody tent behind the clueless trio. Something was off. The tent was leaking a very volatile chakra signature. The tent was fairly spacious. In the centre was a table, probably used as the strategy table. However the body lying on top of it wouldn't have indicated otherwise. He was a tall and rugged man, with many scars on his face and torso. There was a massive scar just above his heart. It appeared to be fresh. Kakashi's face lit up in recognition.

The jonin's left hand quickly unbuttoned one of the flaps of his flak-jacket and pulled out a small scroll. He quickly unfurled it and sealed the body inside. Picking up a chunk of wood lying on the floor, Kakashi placed it in the center of the table and transformed it into the man that lay there previously.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing?" Naruto's voice called out. Kakashi turned to look at his student. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead as he eyed the body.

"Finishing the job."

Naruto's eyes widened. "But he could have had valuable Intel!"

"On what?" Naruto remained quiet, despite his mouth opening and closing repeatedly. "You think this man has a connection to the Village sackings? Is that what you're trying to say? Don't be stupid. We aren't here to gather information on anything. We're here to clear out a bandit infestation that could have potentially grown to be a thorn in our side. Besides, there isn't anything you should be worried about, aside from the chunin exams."

"But…"

"But nothing. As your commanding officer, I order you to forget about this non-sense. Do you understand?" Naruto flinched, despite Kakashi's calm, yet stern voice.

"Yes sir." He mumbled quietly. He then looked at Kakashi with a fire in his eyes. "But that doesn't mean I like it."

* * *

 **Hokage's Office, Konoha**

* * *

Minato Namikaze let his head drop onto his mahogany desk. To his left side was an enormous pile of papers that were stacked dangerously high. To his right was a bowl of ramen. The day had been unbelievably boring, tedious and tiring. As were most days. Thank god Himiko offered to take off some his work load.

The blonde Hokage, groaned into his desk as the sound of someone knocking reached his eardrums. "Come in!" He slowly lifted his head to see who was there. Minato quickly wiped the exhausted look of his face and straightened his back out.

The door opened slowly and soon Team 7 spilled in. Kakashi came in first with his usual eye-smile. Next came his two children, the twins Naruto and Naruko. After them were the Uchiha twins. But someone was missing.

"Where's Sakurai?"

"Some family troubles." Naruko eyed Kakashi with an angry glare.

"Hey it's not my fault he believed me when I told him he had a sister. Despite the fact that he doesn't."

Minato held up his hand. "You know what? I don't want to know. What I do want to know is, how did the mission go?"

"Everything went as they would usually. The bandits however were much better organized and equipped than we had anticipated." Minato caught a subtle little gesture from his former student. It was subtle enough that the rest of team 7 didn't notice.

"Alright. I'm expecting your written report to be on time Kakashi."

"Finally! Time for some ramen!" Naruto cried out, scrambling out of the room.

"I'm going to go and make sure he doesn't eat all of Ichiraku's ramen for a 4th time." Naruko called out. "See ya out home dad!"

"And where are you going Sayoko?" Said girl's brother gripped her by the shoulder, stopping her from leaping out the window.

"Uh…Nothing? I mean nowhere!"

"Yeah sure. Let's go get some ramen."

"Well what are you waiting for!? Let's go!"

"Wait! Wait Don't pull on my arm so hard you! You know what happened the last time you did this!" Sasuke called out as his sister dragged him out by the hand.

Minato looked around the room. "You can come out now Arashi." Both the copy-cat and the yellow flash turned their gazes to a dark and solitary corner. A man walked out. His blonde hair was swept to the side. Cold and calculating blue eyes scanned Kakashi like a pack of wolf's sizing up their prey. He wore a black jump suit underneath a black Anbu flak jacket with black gauntlets with a golden trim. Finishing off his outfit was a white hooded cloak that reached below the knees. Arashi made his way over to his father's desk and sat down in on top.

"You couldn't retrieve the package I see." The gears inside Arashi's head began to turn. "That means that those bandits were stupid enough to open it…"

"No. He was there. I sensed his Killing Intent." Kakashi interjected.

"Then that means that he's recovered the only solution we have. Damnit!" Arashi snarled.

Kakashi then fished around in his pockets and pulled out a scroll. "However, not all is lost. I've sealed away one of His underlings. He seems to be the leader of those bandits." He explained unsealing the man.

Arashi's eye's narrowed. "ANBU! Take this man to T&I. Get him a room with Kazuma." He turned to Kakashi and smiled, "Good job." Kakashi stepped back and away from the man as several masked men dropped down from the rafters.

"Now anyways. Onto more pressing matters. We've gotten Menma's latest report." Minato said, pulling out a file from one of his desks many drawers.

Kakashi flipped through it. "Another village?"

"Yes. Suzaku Town. A major trade port and one of the biggest importers of Konoha products. We just found out 3 hours ago." Minato continued on. "Now, I want you to take a look at this map."

Kakashi dropped the report about the village on the edge of the desk. He looked at the map intently. His visible eye then widened and shot his head up to look at his former teacher. "This is…"

* * *

Naruto clutched his stomach with a groan. Next to him Naruko, with an annoyed grimace dominating her features, held him up by the armpits.

"I told you eating that 23rd bowl was a bad idea." Naruko chastised. She helped ease her brother onto a bench outside Himiko's office. "You're lucky it's only a stomach ache and not a ruptured stomach."

"Is that even possible?"

"Actually it is. It happens when your stomach is filled with too much food, 5 litres or so, and don't expunge it all out. Then all of that mass gets pushed to the side, causing your stomach to rupture." A smile formed on the twin's faces as Himiko came up to them.

Himiko was the twin of Kenji. Though her blonde hair would not have given it away, considering her twin's fiery red. Himiko had her blonde hair tied into a braid. She was wearing the standard Konoha Jonin uniform, excluding the vest. The navy blue shirt was also short sleeved and high-collared.

The siblings got up and soon began to make their way back home. Along the Himiko complained and whined non-stop. "…and then he had the gall to say that _**I**_ made a mistake!? The nerve of that douchebag. Fucking civilian council. Anyways! Enough about my day! How'd the mission go?"

Naruto's stomach growled. "Boring." To which Naruko nodded. "Yeah. It was kind of disappointing."

"Well at least you didn't have to do 300 pages of paperwork!" Himiko growled out, shaking her fist at nothing. The twins looked at each other.

"That sounds like hell." Naruto's face and voice was comepletely devoid of sympathy.

Their sister nodded enthusiastically at his statement. "You don't even know the half of it! I have to sign immigration papers, mediate business negotiations, arbitrate contracts, and hand out missions! Ugh! And don't even get me started on the amount of assholes there are! God their assholes must be gaping huge with how long the sticks up their asses are."

"Sounds harsh." Like her twin, Naruko's voice was comepletely devoid of any emotion.

"Yeah! If it weren't for the fact that father would get a bigger workload and have to deal with those assholes, I would have stopped doing this a long time ago!" The other two shared a look.

"Oh poor you."

The taller blonde sighed. "At least try to sound sympathetic."

"Oh your job is so hard/ Poor Himiko's wrist must hurt so much!" The two twins said at the same time. Himiko simply grinned.

"Thank you! And they do hurt. A lot."

"Um…I don't know if you could tell, but we were mocking you."

"O-of course I knew that! I was simply playing along!"

Their clan compound soon entered their view, as the twins shared one last look. "Yeah sure." Naruto came up to their door first. He then slipped his sandals off. "We're home!"

"Yo." Sitting down on one of their living room's many couches was Arashi. HE gave them a small wave. The house seemed empty. Naruko's eyes wandered to the T.V and they widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Is that a new episode of Nightingale Beyond!? Oh my god! This is the episode that Teru meets the original Nightingale!" Naruko dove onto the couch with a squeal.

"Anyways, where is everybody?" Naruto asked.

Arashi looked up at his younger brother. "Tsugumi's on a date with Sojirou, Kenji is in his room doing god knows what. Kazuma is still at work and so is dad, but they should be back by dinner. Natsumi is still on that long term mission in Kusagakure, Kimiko is finishing up some reports and should be home in time for dinner. Yukimura's hanging at Kage's place. And mom's at the warehouse getting the ingredients for tonight's meal." He diverted his eyes to Himiko for a split second. "Listen, why don't you go and help mom out. Himiko and I will go and set up the kitchen." Naruto nodded and eagerly made his way to the warehouse.

The two siblings then left the fangirling Naruko alone with "her Teru's abs". They made their way to the kitchen. Arashi pulled out the drawer and began to set up the kitchen.

"So what's on the up and up?" Himiko asked, laying down a pair of knives next to the cutting board. "This has something to do with Menma's report right?"

Arashi nodded. "It's pretty clear that Konoha is next on the list. But we don't have to worry about that for a while. Now we have to follow that lead Menma gave us. Hopefully it's actually something."

"I hope so too. But are you sure that sending Team 7 out on another mission again is a smart idea?" Himiko stared at her brother with worried eyes. "Especially if He is there."

"I trust Kakashi. He's proved that he can look after our siblings." Arashi responded.

"But the Land of the smoke is called that for a reason. I'm not sure they'll be ready for what they'll see there."

"Yes…That's the only thing that worries me. Menma and Saori should be here in a month or so to share what they've learned."

"Really? How come I didn't know about this?"

"Don't be too surprised, we've learned it just minutes ago."

Himiko's eyes narrowed. "You're not really here are you Arashi?" The clone smirked and gave a two finger salute. "But you are going to be coming home right?"

"By home do you mean the house that I just recently bought for me and my fiancé? Then by that definition, yes."

At this, Himiko smirked. "Oh you mean the house that's rights across from us and is in the same fucking district?" The two siblings shared a chuckle.

"AHHH! TERU-SAMA! YOUR ABS MAKE MY MOUTH WATER!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP BRAT! I'M TRYING TO GET RID OF A HANGOVER HERE!"

* * *

Souta, frankly felt like shit. His chest ached, his legs were sore, and he was pretty sure that he crapped his pants. He looked around the completely blank room, save for the light fixture aimed at him. The former bandit leader was tied to a chair. Footsteps reached Souta's badly injured ears.

From the shadows came a man wearing a black trench coat that was fully zipped up. He was slipping on a pair of red rubber surgeon's gloves.

"Now, you may be asking why the red gloves? That's so bad guys don't see their blood. You got the memo. You wore brown pants today. And now that we've got that out of the way, my name is Kazuma Namikaze. We…Well, we are going to be spending a lot of time together." Kazuma strode past Souta and wheeled in a table full of sharp objects and a lot of other things. "Now. What's 1000 subtract 7?"

* * *

 _ **(Unravel-Tokyo Ghoul Op 1)**_

* * *

 **Life's degradation, will be discontinued. I just lost all interest in it. The characters from that story will be appearing in this one.**

 **This story will be like Face-Off. In that it will start at a 10 and will only get…not better, I think (I hope it does), but more ridiculous and more gory and full of references.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, someone would be dying every episode, gratuitous nudity and extreme violence. So basically Game of Thrones.**

* * *

 **Update: I've fixed most of my mistakes.** _ **Most.**_


	2. Through the smoke we go

**(World is mine-Hatsune Miku)**

His hand ran through his thick and rich Blonde Locks, as Naruto entered the room. Sitting down in a chair, across from the window, was Sasuke, a disgusted look on his face. A frown formed on Naruto's face.

"You see them?"

Sasuke looked back at him, then turned his head back out the window with a sneer on his face.

"Tch. Yeah. Talking to a group of Greens." The Uchiha's hand flew across the desk he was sitting adjacent to, and reached for a small, leather bound, notebook. Sasuke caught the pen, which Naruto had thrown at him. "To think that Iwa would actually support this kind of Regime."

"After Onoki got assassinated, they've become even more Militaristic." Both genin averted their gaze to the door, where Kakashi leaned against the blood-stained wooden doorframe.

"Yes. But Iwa already has one of the biggest and most powerful army's in the world. They don't need to make alliances." Sasuke retorted. Iwa was indeed a threat. Especially under their new Tsuchikage, Kosuke Totsuka. The tension between Iwa and Konoha, rose even more when reports of Iwa shinobi raiding the border reached Konoha.

"Because messing with Rika Akabane is suicide. Even you should know this Sasuke. Iwa needs to make sure that Rika will stay neutral. Otherwise all other plans they have in store are rendered useless." Kakashi, looked back down at his book, a special edition, Make-Out Paradise novel, signed by Jiraiya himself. A giggle escaped from his lips.

Sasuke looked down at his journal. Rika Akabane. It was a name that struck fear in the hearts of even the most powerful of Kage. How? Sasuke didn't know. But, judging from the state of the country that she ran it was clear to see that she ruled with an iron fist. "Yeah, I know. So why are we here then?"

Kakashi sighed deeply and loudly. "You're a smart boy Sasuke. You know why we're here."

"So I was right then. Something about this place has a connection with those Village Sackings." Sasuke muttered under his breath. Naruto looked at the two and sighed. Did they forget that he was still there? With a shrug, the son of Minato strode forward and leaned out the window and instantly regretted his decision.

All he could smell was the stench of death. Bodies decaying, and rotting. It also smelled of people who had never taken a bath in their entire life, or the scent of someone taking a dump in their pants.

Naruto's sense of smell wasn't the only thing that was comepletely overwhelmed by the city in front of him. The blonde could hear the shrieks of women being raped, kidnapped or murdered. The sound of flesh slapping against each other. It sickened him. Yet when they had arrived several days ago early in the morning, the people looked normal. Happy even. How?

Turning back around Naruto caught the sight of his teammate and sensei, with expectant looks. "What?"

"Did you see anyone that looks like they could be a spy or something like that?" Kakashi asked, his book snapped shut for once.

"No, and what would that look like anyways? Also, why are you asking?"

"Because your brother Menma has a contact in this village that may have information on the recent Sackings as of late." Sasuke folded his hands behind his head and rested his feet on the table.

Naruto glanced back outside, across from them, was the only building that was not rundown was Iwagakure Embassy. From the windows, two very distinct figures wearing Iwagakure Jonin uniforms were seated. "Do you think that Menma's contact would even show?"

The silver-haired cyclops had his book open once again. "Yes. Unfortunately, our Contact will be later than the arranged time period. Those Iwa Jonin arriving was an unknown variable."

Naruto sat down in Sasuke's place, with the Uchiha standing and looking out over the city. "Yeah, an unknown variable that we probably knew should've known was coming." The blonde shot back, a deck of cards in his hands.

Silence overtook the room.

"What do you mean you haven't made any money!?" Sasuke clenched his jaw as the sound of a woman being hit reached his ears. Sobbing followed afterward.

"I-I'm sorry m-master…N-no one approached m-me…I'm sorry I-I wasn't m…more usefu- Ah!"

"Sorry!? Sorry doesn't earn me money! You stupid, whore!" The raven haired ninja tightened his grip on the wood railings. "And a Blue such as me, cannot use a Red like you as an instrument of pleasure!" With each slap and punch, Sasuke's anger would rise.

Kakashi looked up, sensing his student was about to do something stupid that would blow their cover. "Sasuke. Calm yourself. You will be no help to her. If you kill that man, his underlings will attack the girl instead, believing it was her that killed their master. That's not what you want is it?"

Sasuke crumpled almost to the ground. He grit his teeth. "Of course not. I just want to do something."

"We all want to do something, but you understand that we will just be making the situation worse, right?" His best friend called out, shuffling his cards and putting them back in their case. "You'll get the chance to save them later. Right?" He looked back to his teacher, who shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Just know, that you aren't alone."

Sasuke looked away and did the traditional Uchiha grunt. "Tch. Whatever. Our informant better get here quick. I don't want to have to hear any more of this."

"Then close the window." The only blonde in the room called out, with a bowl of ramen now somehow in his hands.

"How are we going to know the informant is here then?"

"Point."

* * *

Civilians walked past Sakurai as if he wasn't there. Which was weird. You would've thought a guy with pink hair would stick out more often, but he didn't. He looked at his two teammates who were atop the hill behind him.

Taking a quick look around, the medic, slipped a hand into his pouch and let his fingers curl around a pair of shuriken. He shot a quick glare at the gang on the corner, who had been eyeing every woman who had walked by.

As Sakurai walked past them, he could feel their gaze on his back. They then backed off when they noticed the glint of moonlight coming off the shuriken in his hand. After that they backed off, with fear stricken, as well as hate filled eyes.

"Stupid Green….Can't leave us alone for a fucking minute." Their murmurs filled the silent alleyway. Sakurai ignored it and continued making his way towards his teammates post overlooking the Dictators palace.

The hill, if it could be called that, had certainly felt the effects of the city's long time struggles. Trash was strewn everywhere. The trees looked dry and their branches drooped dangerously low to the ground. Brown grass was what covered the hill. It should also be noted that the stench of dead bodies filled the air.

Rika Akabane's palace on the other hand, was anything but that. Its massive marble pillars, which were at least 15 metres tall, were coated in gold. Beyond the pillars, were where the palace's fountains are. All made of solid gold. It spewed rainbow coloured water into the air. Past that lay the courtroom, which had to have been at least the size of Hokage Mountain. It was made of what seemed to be obsidian. Standing guard at the lobby was a Statue that was as tall as one of the heads of the Hokage's from Hokage Mountain.

A snarl made its way on his face as some of the guards patrolling atop the walls of the Palace deemed it necessary to take a number 1 on some passing plebeians, who were "Disturbing" the peace. Sakurai soon found himself seated next to Naruko who's seemed to be intently staring at something. Next to them, leaned against a tree, Sayoko twirled around one of her kunai.

"What's going on?" Sakurai raised a hand to his forehead and shielded his eyes from the intense moonlight. There seemed to be some commotion. The pink-haired medic squinted and saw through the huge window that the Iwa Nin they had spotted earlier were having a meeting with someone. He looked at Naruko. Sakurai frowned. Weren't they at the embassy earlier?

"You know what they're saying?" Naruko nodded and recalled her familiar. A small black and red scaled dragon.

"What's the situation Lady Amethyst?" The blonde questioned her summon. The dragon took a breath and breathed out a small puff of flame.

"The Iwa Nin have met with the Dictator known as Rika Akabane to discuss the terms of their official alliance." He looked at his master with almost longing eyes. Naruko sighed before reaching into her pocket and feeding her summon. "As I was saying, they were discussing terms of the alliance, so I can assume that they had been negotiating for a while. One of the terms of the alliance is that the Land Hidden by the Smoke may not put taxes or royalties on any Iwagakure made substances. They have also demanded that Iwagakure shinobi will have safe passage through the country."

"Another one of the terms in their alliance is that their troops may not be attacked at any cost." At this Naruko furrowed her brows.

"But isn't that already guaranteed by the alliance?"

"Yes, but if the rebels were to hear about this alliance, it would be in their best interest to try and break it and get Iwagakure to attack their country." Sakurai answered.

Sayoko kneeled and cut a small blade of grass off the hill. "Yes, but will they pull off forces from the main rebel army to sabotage relations with Iwagakure? This is kind of a lose-lose situation for the Government. I mean the rebels will get wind of this alliance for sure and sabotage relations. On the other hand even if they don't, they give Iwagakure ninja free passage through their country, which put Iwagakure in a good position for an invasion."

"But you forget. Rika Akabane is charge of this country. Iwa would be suicidal if they anger her." Sakurai retorted. It's pretty clear to Sakurai that the Greens, Blues and Purples are too headstrong and arrogant to listen to anyone, let alone a woman. So the fact that they kneel to her the moment she appears, is good enough reason to be wary of the person.

"Which is why the decision is being made." Naruko sounded like she had just found the secret to getting her brother to quit his Ramen addiction. "It essentially boils down to this. 'If I'm going to hell then you're going down with me.'"

It becomes silent after that. Sakurai then notices something out of the corner of his eye. He looks at his teammates. "You guys see that right?" Everyone nods.

"Rebels?" Naruko shifts her weight onto one knee as she prepares to leap over to the walls.

Sakurai nods. "Probably. Reminder though, if things go bad, we are not allowed to interfere. Understand?"

His two female teammates look at each. "Who made gum boy here in charge?"

* * *

Kagami Akiyama dug his fingers deep into the handhold he'd found in the wall of the palace. How a wall made of obsidian could have cracks was beyond him. The wind blows his hair into his eyes. Looking to his right, he sees Kazuya atop one of the arches. Kazuya clutches his cloak and makes sure that it doesn't make any flapping noises that could give them away.

The leader of the rebels then looks to his left where Yukihara's snow white hair that pierces the heavens, as Ryusei would say, shines in the moonlight. Though she is doing her best to hide it with her cloak. Beside her is Kisara's whose teasing grin can be seen all the way from Kagami's position.

Finally, Ryusei sits below him in some bushes. For someone so loud and obnoxious, he sure is a stealthy bastard. It's hard to see him despite the fact that he has bright orange hair.

Down below him in the courtyard, the dignitaries from Iwagakure have finished negotiations with Rika Akabane. They at least tried their best to not look intimidated by a woman 20 years younger than they are. A smirk finds its way onto Kagami's face. He then puts a hand to his ear.

"Everyone in position?"

"O-of course I am!" Yukihara whisper yelled while tugging at her hood, pulling it down farther to avoid further embarrassment.

The sound of her sister snickering was all that could be heard. "Yeah…Ha….I'm in position…Haha!"

"Are you done now? Good, in position." Kazuya's voice was but a whisper, he was really serious about this stuff.

"Who the hell do you think I am!? Of course the Hero of Gleaming Daylight is in position!" Everyone sighed. Ryusei practically shouted into his mic, yet none of the dignitaries seemed to even notice.

"Be quiet Ryu. Now isn't the time for your "Manly" tirades." Kazuya's stern chastising voice came through the line. A chuckle escaped Kagami's lips as he raised his arm. He then raised three fingers. Everyone then stiffened. Yes, even the Konoha Nin who thought they were being sneaky.

"Alright. In 3…"

Yukihara brought her hands together and began to unleash a series of handseals. Her sister began to do the same thing. Down below Kagami, Ryusei moved his to the hilt of his sword. Kazuya, unfurls a long length of chain from inside his cloak.

Temperature drops a little bit. The dignitaries notice this, or at least one of them, who looks around suspiciously. Kagami holds back a slight chuckle. How scum like him became a jonin was beyond the rebel. His hand now only held up two fingers.

The sound of Ryusei pulling a piece of his blade out of its scabbard could made out. Now both dignitaries were suspicious.

"Don't worry. The rebel scum are too afraid of Rika-sama to attack us here." One of the Green's reassured the jonin. A smirk formed on all of said rebel's faces. Now Kagami only held 1 finger in the air. Before pulling it back in.

Immediately afterward Yukihara unleashes her technique. "Ice release: Field of Asphodel!" The ground beneath their targets froze and froze them in place as well.

Kisara then followed up with her own jutsu. "Crystal Release: Ruby Snow!" Unable to move, her crystal snow fell on the dignitaries and guards without any problems. Immediately afterward the bodies became crystalized.

"Take this you bastards!" Kazuya jumps down and spreads his chain everywhere and wraps it around as many crystalized bodies as possible. He then tugged on them and shattered them to pieces.

At the same time, Ryusei flipped out of the bushes. "Ninja Art: Gleaming Daybreak!" All that could be then seen, was the flash of his blade. The remaining crystalized people shattered to pieces as well.

With a smile on his face, Kagami flipped off of the wall and landed down on the ground, where the rest of his group surrounded him. "You can come out senator. We know you're there." He turns his head to the side where, in a corner, a senator was cowering in fear. Why does a dictator have senators? To make it seem like it isn't a dictatorship, despite the fact that everyone knows that they don't hold any real power.

"Get back! Back! Get away from me you red scum!" Kagami walks forward, chakra coating his hand, with one swift motion the leader of the resistance slices off his head. Blood squirts everywhere.

"Tch. It's all over my clothes now."

Kazuya frowned. "Then go and change."

Kagami smirked. "Well, we can't keep our guests waiting can we?" He says, looking pointedly at the Konoha ninja.

"SAKURAI YOU IDIOT! CLOSE YOUR MOUTH! I DON'T WANT THAT HUNK TO THINK THAT WE'RE WEIRD!" A round of chuckles flew by.

* * *

A groan escapes Naruto's lips. His eyes slowly snap open. Looking around he spots Sasuke sitting on the windowsill, eating a bowl of ramen. A smile forms on the blonde's face.

"I think I'm finally getting to ya!" He then continued his look around the empty room, save for Kakashi who didn't look like he had even moved an inch from his spot against the wall. "Where are they?"

Sasuke looked up from his bowl of ramen. "By them, do you mean our teammates, or our informant?"

"I was thinking both actually." His teammate shrugs and goes back to eating his bowl of ramen. Kakashi walks over to the window and lets the morning rays of the sun shine through.

Looking back to his students. "Naruto, go and get some chairs, preferably around 5 or 6. Sasuke, when you're finished go and prepare another batch of ramen."

Naruto stood up and stretched out his shoulders. "Why? Visitors?"

Kakashi takes one last look outside before answering. "Yes."

* * *

The copy-cat of Konoha stared at the teen on the chair across from him. Kagami simply stared back at him. How a teenager like Kagami became the leader of a notorious rebellion was beyond Kakashi. It was surreal. Even to him it was hard to understand.

Kagami's lean and thin frame didn't make him stand out. His jet-black hair was simply normal. The leader had an unremarkable face. There was simply nothing that stood out for him. Yet, Kakashi could understand why, his members were so loyal. Kagami was one of the most charismatic individuals he had met, and it stumped him.

Kakashi had met a lot of charismatic people in his life. Having been trained by one himself, yet Kagami baffled him. How could someone so unremarkable have the same air and make people feel inspired when they talk, as the 4th Hokage? He had only said a few words to his group earlier, yet they were suddenly filled with renewed vigor!

"Are you just gonna stare at me the whole time?" Kagami had a raised eyebrow. The silver haired cyclops had been staring at for the last few minutes now.

"Ah. Sorry. It's just….Menma didn't say his informant would be the Smoky Phantom." Kakashi had the right to look a little sheepish as he scratched the back of his head and simply laughed off his mistake. "It's just…I never imagined you'd be so young."

Kagami smiled slyly. "Yeah, I get that a lot." He then brought his bag up to his lap and fished through it, pulling out a small wooden chest. "Now, onto business."

His eyes wide, Kakashi's hands roam the across the chest, examining it. "Is this what I think it is?" He has a pretty good idea, but just to be safe…

"Yes. Before Menma left, he gave this to me. Told me that someone would be coming over to pick it up." The raven haired man explained, walking over to the sink and pouring himself a glass of water. "And before you ask, no. No, I did not look inside."

"I believe you." Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his chair, bringing the box up and taking an even more careful look at the box. "Anything else you need to say?"

"No."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you. Are you sure that there isn't anything else, any prudent information that would help out?"

"Ah. Well, maybe?" Kagami sighed and returned to his seat. "It's hard to say. I don't know what classifies as pertinent information."

"I see. Well. Just tell me whatever you think is something that I need to know. That Konoha needs to know." Kakashi leaned forward once again. In his hand was a notebook and a pen.

"Well. Rumour has it that the Cult of the Snake God has started to become more active."

"Cult of the Snake God?"

"The Yamata No Orochi. Anyways. This is really important. From what I've heard, there are really high ranking shinobi in multiple nations that are members of the Cult. That means that the cult would have near infinite support from said nation, if they were in a high enough position." Kagami furrowed his brow and huffed. "That's what I think happened today."

Kakashi looked up, his eyes widening. He then waved at Kagami, telling him to continue. "Now to clarify. What I mean is, one of the higher ups in the Iwagakure, or maybe the Tsuchikage himself is a member of the Cult. Now, how does this fit in? Well. The Land Hidden by the Smoke is the birth place of the Cult."

The rebel took a sip from his glass of water. "So, making an alliance like this, gives the Cult more control over their birthplace. Technically anyways. If there is anything that's good about Rika Akabane, it's that she actively tries to remove their presence from this shithole."

"Excuse me if I sound ignorant or rude, but how is this pertinent information?" Kakashi, truth to be told, had only heard bits and pieces of the Cult, and they were nothing good. But, they were never kept him up at night.

"It's alright. Most people don't think too much of a Cult that worships a quote on quote, dead god. But what they don't realize is that the cult is more dangerous than most groups out there. They're a Cult for crying out loud! What makes them dangerous is that they will do anything for their god. They are the extreme of the extreme."

Kakashi set down his pen and looked up at Kagami. "From the sounds of it, you've had some bad experiences with the Cult." Kagami nodded. "Continue anyways."

"Last I remember, my contact in the cult told me that the higher ups in the Cult are planning something big. He doesn't know what it is, he's only a grunt after all. But from what they've told me, it might be something bigger than the revival of Kaguya."

"But that's not possible, unless…"

"Unless their plan is to summon the Yamata no Orochi itself." Kagami's face looked even more serious. "But that's my theory. I could just be really paranoid. Now. Where is your tempura?"

* * *

A deep sigh escapes from Sayoko's throat. She rests her head on her arm. Locks of raven hair fall in front of her equally black eyes. Talking to Ryusei in front of her, and very animatedly in fact, was Naruto. A grin on his face. Another sigh.

Sayoko feels the couch sink, as another person puts their weight on it. It must be Sasuke or something. One more sigh comes from her lips. A shiver goes down her spine, as Naruto smiles and laughs at something Ryusei says.

"Could you be any more obvious?" Sayoko jumps up and looks behind her. Sitting there, is definitely not her brother. Unless her brother suddenly became a girl with chrome coloured hair. Sayoko thought she would have been more beautiful if she wiped that smug smirk off of her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." That just caused Kisara's smirk to become bigger. If it was possible.

"Really? You know, I don't think you could make it more obvious that you have a thing for him. Well, unless you straight up say it to his face."

"W-what!? N-no you've got it a-all wrong!" Sayoko tried her best to keep her face from becoming anymore red than it already was. This seemed to merely encourage Kisara.

"Really? Then were those sighs…sighs of boredom?"

"YES!"

"And to relieve your boredom, you decided that checking out your teammate was the best solution?" A grin broke out on Kisara's face.

"Yes! I-I mean no!"

This seemed to answer the rebel's question as she leaned back into the couch. Sayoko let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. However that feeling would be short lived as the grin reappeared on Kisara's face moments later.

"So you mean I can stare at that 6-pack all day, free of charge?" This brought out a change in Sayoko's demeanor immediately. She brought her face close to Kisara, her eyes dark.

"Back off. He's mine." Kisara's grin never once wavered, even with the crazy amount of focused killing intent aimed at her.

"Haha. Relax, I was just joking. Plus that just confirmed to me, that he does indeed have a 6-pack." She waved off the female Uchiha, who eased up on the killing intent. "Anyways. I've seen people act like a Tsundere. I've seen people act like a Yandere. But never, have I seen anyone flip flop between the two. In only 2 sentences too!"

"B-but I don't even l-like that dolt!" Sayoko snarled, trying to look and sound intimidating. Though, her red face and squeaky, stuttering voice didn't do anything to make her sound intimidating.

"That line right there, doesn't help your case." She smiled at Sayoko. "But I know a Tsundere when I see one. I've developed what you call a Tsundere radar, if you will. Being twins with one helps as well." Kisara continued, averting their gaze toward Yukihara and Kazuya.

"Ah! Thank you for the drink Yuki-chan! OW! What the hell?"

"You m-moron! I didn't do it for you. You just s-seemed thirsty." Yukihara huffed and looked away, preventing Kazuya from seeing her flustered face.

"See what I mean?" Sayoko nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah. Tsundere much."

Kisara let out a laugh. "Pot calling the kettle black! Don't think I haven't caught you sneaking glances at tall, blonde and sunny over there, every time you think I'm not looking. Plus, whenever you do it, I can hear you sighing. Really deeply too. You remind of someone. I don't remember who though. But don't mind me. You're like the deepest sigher I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

The female Uchiha looked really surprised and confused for some reason. "Really?"

"You mean, you don't know you sigh really deeply?"

Sayoko shook her head. "No, not that. Is it really a pleasure to meet me?"

Now it Kisara's turn to look confused. She moved her hand up and scratched her head. "Well, for me it's a pleasure to meet new people. I don't know why it wouldn't be a pleasure."

"Even if that person is a jerk?"

"I've met a lot of terrible people. And if there's one I've learned, it's that there's always reason why." She smiled at Sayoko and moved her hand to the other girl's shoulder. "I get the feeling that most people don't feel the way I do."

"Yeah. Most people are usually creeped out or off put by how I act." Sayoko smiled sadly. "And I know that, that's how anyone would act."

"Well, when you live in a shithole like this and most of the people you know, are pessimistic assholes who don't know how to have fun, everyone is a pleasure to meet. Except for those assholes that think they're above everyone. To answer your second question, I live with a Tsundere, so your behaviour isn't really that new to me. Though your Yandere side is quite different." Kisara shrugged. She leaned forward and grabbed another bowl of ramen.

"I…Thank you. I-I'll see you later I guess." Sayoko gave a big smile to Kisara, this time it looked genuine. She also didn't bother to hide her flustered and pink cheeks.

"So what was that about?" Yukihara sat down next to her sister. Her long flowing platinum white hair draping over the couch, with her bright green eyes shining in the dark room. A blush was faintly visible on her cheeks. Kisara grins.

"Oh nothing. Just girl talk. But enough about my conversation. What about you?" The girl with chrome coloured hair leaned forward, grinned cheekily and wrapped her arms around her twin. If it was possible Yukihara's face became even redder.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! We were just having a friendly conversation! As friends! Nothing else." Yukihara said, her red face and quivering voice betraying her message.

"Yeah, sure." Kisara then smiled at Naruto who came over and sat down in the chair in front of them. "Hey! Nice safe house you got here!"

"Thanks. Though Kakashi-sensei didn't really obtain it legally." Naruto replied, a smirk dancing on his lips. "Though you guys probably have your own safe house. Legally obtained."

"No one in this city really gets anything…legally. We certainly didn't." Kisara leaned back in her seat.

"Um…speaking of this city…Uh. How is it, living here? Aside from the obvious fact that it's…uh…"

Yukihara turned to the boy and flashed a grin. "Hey, we don't mind you calling it a shithole. Because it is. We don't try to pretend it isn't."

"Yeah." Kisara nodded her head in agreement. "But to answer your question. It sucks here. Like really. I mean there could be worse places in the world. We've certainly never been to any other city. But I doubt that it's as bad this shithole."

"I've been to a lot of places. All of them aren't actually how they look like in the brochure. But nothing compares to this city. I mean, there are people like getting mugged and beaten in broad daylight yet no one reacts."

Yukihara snorts. "Get into the inner city, then you'll really see some shit. I mean rape in broad daylight, stoning's, kidnappings. People getting murdered. The Greens, whose job it is to take care of stuff like this, they don't care. Hell, sometimes they even join in."

Kisara continued off from where her sister started." Most children don't live long. Those that do, well they're going to have children, whose parents won't be able to provide for them and won't be able to educate them. Then it results in the cycle repeating. It's a good thing at least one of our brothers survived."

"You had many?"

"We had a couple. We never got to meet them because they died before we were even born. All we know of them were the stories that our only living brother had of them." Kisara developed a blissful smile on her face. "Kurohara was the best brother one could ever have. In my comepletely biased opinion. Heck, he's the sole reason we even know what that means!"

Yukihara smiled at the mention of her brother. "Yeah. He did what our parents couldn't. Not because they wouldn't. But because they just couldn't. They were frail and had numerous health problems. So when our parents died, we were only what…3?"

Kisara nodded. "Yup. I think Kurohara was only was only 7 when he used his very special set of skills. He was a thief. Stole food, medicine, books and clothes. Anything that he didn't have."

Naruto was silent. His fingers were intertwined and held them in front of his mouth. Kisara stopped and tilted her head, before flashing a grin at him. "Hey, you can't change the past. So continuing on, our brother was all we had. Without him we wouldn't be here in the first place. I imagine that we'd be dead actually."

"Then one day. Our brother disappeared. Just suddenly. So who else could have done it but the fucking greens huh?" Kisara looked at her sister who suddenly developed an angry glare.

"Well who else could have done it? Huh Kisara!? There's no secret or conspiracy that Kurohara is part of!" And with that Yukihara stormed off, leaving her sister alone with Naruto.

"Sorry." Kisara said looking out to the balcony where Sasuke, Sakurai and Sayoko were. "But, I don't think that our brother died, or even got caught. He may not have had training or even practiced. But he was too good to get caught."

"You're brother sounds like a great guy." Naruto said. Then some yelling and screaming coming from the outside. The two looked at each other before scrambling to the door. Then an explosion rocked the building.

Naruto stumbled to his feet and then bolted to the door. Standing outside, Sasuke stood atop the railing looking at the chaos happening down the street. "Sasuke! What's going on!?"

"It's the Greens! There was a riot or something and the Greens started killing people!" Sasuke called back. Beside him stood Sayoko whose clothes were dirty and smeared with dust and dirt. To their right was Sakurai, who's pink hair was marred by dust and dirt.

"Shit. Where's everyone else!?"

"Kagami and Kazuya went back to the rebel hideout to get some reinforcements! I don't know where Naruko is, but last I saw her, she was with Kakashi, so don't worry about her!"

"I kinda have to man! She's my twin!" Naruto shouted back. Kisara's chrome coloured hair flashed in the ash filled air.

"What was that explosion!?" Kisara called out, shielding her eyes from the ash. Down below everything was a mess. Most of the buildings had collapsed from that explosion. The streets were crowded with Reds and Oranges and Greens fighting it out, though the dust filled air made it hard to see many details. "And where's my sister!?"

"She went with Ryusei to corral the crowds!" Sayoko shouted back. She held up a hand to her eyes to shield herself from the debris, as another building collapsed. "To answer your first question, I think the Greens are trying to weed us out by blowing up buildings with bombs!"

"What!? Where'd they get the bombs!? I thought they were manufactured in Konoha only!" Kisara looked alarmed. Where had the Greens gotten hold of these bombs? Konoha was known to have sanctions on the Land Hidden by Smoke. They couldn't possibly have gotten them from Konoha.

"I think there might someone in Konoha who would love to see this mission fail." Kakashi called out from his position in the building across from them. To his right was Naruko, her blonde hair styled up in a low-ponytail reminiscent of their sister Kimiko, rather than her usual twin-tails.

"Danzo?" Sasuke called out. Kakashi shrugged.

"Maybe. There are a lot of people who would love to see us fail. But if we fail, then there's a chance that Konoha would fall. Danzo would never give Rika Akabane a weapon that could cause the destruction of Konoha. Not even Danzo is that stupid."

Kisara frowned. "We'll deal with this later. First off, we have a bigger problem to deal with. How are we gonna dissolve our current crisis?"

"I'll tell ya how sister!" Yukihara shouted out from the street below them. A smile on her face. "Ryu's already started to get all of the civilians out of the way, so we can use any of our trump cards. Not that we would need them." Several civilians ran past her, following a transparent looking figure with glazed eyes.

"Well what are we waiting for then!?" Naruko whooped, as her landing created a small crater around her, blonde hair flying in the wind. "You and me." She jabbed a finger at Yukihara's chest. "I'm not taking no for an answer by the way." And with that the duo ran off. A second later, an explosion could be seen and heard a couple of streets away.

"How about some bro bonding time eh?" Sakurai wrapped an around Sasuke with a grin on his face. Sasuke looked at the trio of Naruto, Kisara and Sayoko with a skeptical look.

"Don't worry about it man! We can handle ourselves!" Naruto called out giving Sasuke a thumbs up.

Sakurai leant in to beside Sasuke's ear. "Listen. This may be her chance man!" They both knew what he meant behind those words. A frown appeared on the Uchiha's face.

"I'm not too sure about that."

"No? Then when? She can't keep him out of the loop forever. Unless you're implying that Naruto already knows that Sayoko is hopelessly in love with him to the point that it's bad for her health." Sakurai replied as they made their way to a group of Green's to the north.

"Chaa!" Sakurai roared as he slammed his fist down right in the middle of the group. Most of the Green's either fell to the ground dazed, or flew back. Except for the one whose head caved in and imploded.

"Never mind. Focus on the fight!" Sasuke called out, shaking his sword as he pulled out of the Green's body.

Sakurai merely grinned, picking up two downed Greens by the collars of their shirts, before ramming their skulls together. He slightly flinched as the grey matter of their brain splattered onto his clothes.

The medic then ducked, dodging a sloppy jab at the spot where he stood. The guy who decided that was a good idea try and attack, then flew into the air, his jaw shattered, bone pushed up into his brain. Somehow.

Sasuke twirled around and between a several Greens, the light shining off of his blade as it ripped through their flesh like it was butter. Blood flew through the air as he sheathed his sword. Unaware of the Green sneaking up on him. Sasuke knelt, his eyes closed. Sakurai then flipped over him, his foot blowing through the Green's head like it was tissue paper.

Chakra formed in Sasuke's hands, as they quickly flew through a set of hand seals. "Chidori Senbon!" He quickly threw the chakra needles at a group of Greens that were attempting to get away. They were now pinned to whatever surface was near them.

"I can never understand how none those missed their intended target." Sakurai grunted, gripping the neck of a Green, before quickly breaking her neck. A frown was visible on his face. "But hey, I ain't complaining!" He lets go of the body. Sakurai turns his head to the right, where a massive explosion and a giant pillar made of crystals sprouts up from the ground. "Shit."

* * *

Naruto coughed, lifting the giant chunk of a wall off of his body. Debris was all around him. He winced once again, dust from the debris entering his body. He took a knee and surveyed the area around him. To his right, Sayoko was hiding behind a fallen pillar, clutching her left arm.

Standing atop the massive crystal pillar was…not Kisara. Aforementioned rebel, lay imbedded into a wall adjacent to Naruto. The man standing atop the crystal pillar held his arm out, the air around him distorted.

His long, blue, ankle length trench coat flew in the wind. A sneer marring his elegant looking face. To complete his regal look, his dark brown hair was swept back.

"I was just looking to enjoy a nice, and peaceful day." He snarled thrusting a hand out at Kisara. She screamed, the air around her distorting, the wall collapsing. "Today marks what? Our 13th "date" you could say." His smooth voice turning into a snarl.

Naruto made eye contact with Sayoko. He lifted two fingers and crossed them with his left index finger. She nodded, understanding what he meant and began to do a series of hand seals.

"Now what do you have to say for yourself Kisara?" The Blue in question asked, clenching his hands tighter. Kisara's screaming intensified as the air around her warped even more.

"Screw….You….Hayato!" She somehow found a way to taunt her opponent. Kisara managed to turn her head and eyed Naruto. She nodded. A pained smile on her lips.

Sayoko finished jutsu and leaped out from her cover. She stood atop a pile of rubble. "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!" A huge plume of fire was expelled from her mouth. However the fire simply flowed around Hayato, as if there was a barrier around him.

"Hmmm. I can't kill you. Not unless I want there to be an international scandal at my hands. Rika-chan would have my head." A cruel smirk formed on his face. "But that doesn't mean I can't hurt you." He thrust out his free hand at Sayoko.

Naruto's eyes widen as the air around Sayoko distorts and begins to exert pressure on her thin and lithe body. Sayoko is forced to her knees.

The blonde scans the area for anything that could be of use. Though to no avail. _'Guess we'll have to hold up till Kakashi sensei gets here'_. He then jumps back as Hayato fully focuses on him, with Kisara now slumped over, unconscious.

"Have to keep out of his view." Naruto mutters under his breath, leaping from building to building. Each former hiding place getting blown up, the air warping around them, crushing and disintegrating them. Naruto did not want to get caught in that.

"Shit!" the blonde gets flown back as a chunk of debris smashes into his body. "Damnit!" He places his hand on the ground balancing himself. Naruto snarls at Hayato and quickly makes several clones of himself.

"You bastard!" Naruto roars, charging at Hayato, completely ignoring his previous analysis of the situation. Chakra swirling in his right hand. He swings his chakra loaded fist at Hayato who simply sidesteps his attack.

"Hmm. Oh sorry, didn't notice you there." Hayato smirks and lowers his left hand shoving into the pocket of his trench coat. "Let's dance eh?"

Naruto growls and swipes at Hayato, again and again. Missing all the way. Hayato grins, wraps a hand around the blonde's arm. He pulls the genin in and slams his knee into Naruto's gut.

 _Damnit! Where's Kakashi sensei!?_ Naruto jumps back and blurs through a couple of hand seals. "Wind release: Gale Palm!" A huge gust of wind blew at Hayato. With only a split second to make the technique more effective, Naruto quickly reached into his pouch and hurled several shuriken. "Ninja art: Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" The three shuriken then became 6 and then 12 and then 24 and so on.

The Blue in front of him simply waved his hand, an invisible force freezing the blades in mid-air, making them clatter harmlessly to the ground. "Got any more tricks up your sleeve? Though I doubt you'll…Shit!"

Hayato crumples, his hands up to his face. Naruto grins holding his hand out, ninja wire shining in the light. "Did ya see that coming huh!? Bastard." He retracted the string back, with a shuriken attached to the end of it. While he looked cocky on the outside, Naruto was panicking. That cheap shot probably did little to no damage. And it for sure, made Hayato angry instead.

So with that in mind, Naruto retreated into the shadows. He looked around. Where are all the Green's? With commotion like this, you'd think that the place would be swarming with them. But they've probably been deployed to other places in the city. Kemuri city was huge. Bigger and way more populated than Konoha, that was for sure.

"You fucking brat!" An immense pressure was exerting itself on Naruto as Hayato roared in anger. The air began to warp and twist. The blue was releasing a bright blue aura. The ground vibrates. Hayato's head rapidly scans the area. As his eyes fly past Naruto they twist, before his head whips back to Naruto's position.

"Found you…"

* * *

Kakashi ran across the roofs of the city, making his way toward the giant towering crystal pillar. Something must have happened there. Kakashi's eyes scanned the environment cautiously. Why wasn't Rika responding to the destruction? Something was amiss.

The silver haired jonin's eye snapped back to the crystal, as the air seemed to warp and distort. Then the massive standing crystal shattered into a million or more pieces. Kakashi stops momentarily. In that split second, he lifts up forehead protector, Sharingan swirling to life in his eye.

A massive crystal flies towards the jonin. Kakashi kneels down and then leaps. As soon as his foot lands on top of the crystal, the silver haired jonin propels himself forward and towards the pile of destruction.

"What have you gotten yourself into know my cute little students?"

* * *

"Hurry up! Move it! This our chance to back that part of the city! Go!" Kazuya roared at the rebel soldiers who were marching. The rebel lieutenant looked back Kagami who was lagging behind.

Their leader had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, a blank look on his face. He suddenly stopped and took a quick glance to the side. As if he was expecting someone.

"Kazuya. Go ahead. I'll catch up with later. I have something I have to do first." Kazuya didn't even have a chance to reply before Kagami disappeared. Kazuya merely shook his head, a smile on his face.

"Try not to take too long, eh boss?"

* * *

Kagami reappeared in an abandoned warehouse. It was falling apart at the seams. Rusted pillars, fallen beams and stray pieces of metal everywhere. Weeds and grass overgrown. Standing in the middle was a figure in a black cloak. A smile on his face. It was as if he had been expecting the rebel leader. Which he had. He then held his hands outward, welcoming the teen.

"You came."

Kagami snorted. "Did you think otherwise? Unlike you, I'm a man of my word Satoshi." Satoshi's smile grew. He stepped out of the shadows and began circling around Kagami.

"Yes, you are. But it doesn't matter. What does is your answer. Have you considered our offer?"

"I need more time."

"You're running out of time." Satoshi snarled, his face up and near Kagami's grill. Kagami stood there staring at the spot in the shadows where Satoshi stood. "It's simple really. You accept my offer, no one dies. Well. We both know that's a lie. A lot of people will die."

"Then what's the point?" Kagami whispered. Still standing his ground. "Either way, someone is going to die. But… I'd rather we die quickly and painlessly, than to suffer any longer."

"So is that a yes?"

"I told you. I need more time to think about this."

"How about this. You accept our offer and I promise that there will be no more suffering in the world. All the problems. Solved. All the bad things. Gone." Satoshi whispered into Kagami's ears.

"But at what cost?"

* * *

 **The forests of Konoha**

The harsh rays of the sun beat down on two blondes. The male's blonde hair was short and shaggy and covered his eyes. His outfit, didn't seem to be appropriate for the hot weather. A grey and white long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, along with long black pants tucked into combat boots. Sweat poured off of him in droves.

"Saori-chan! It's so hot!" He looked at the short girl next to him. She grinned. Her long blonde hair styled into a braid to the side. She however seemed to be perfectly content in the intense heat. A white tank top allowed her to breathe in the harsh sun, her tan coloured shorts showed off her legs and cooled Saori off.

"I told you it would be a bad idea to wear that. But since I'm your little sister and you're my older brother, I guess you're always right." Menma laughed weakly and patted Saori's head.

"You're a good girl. Too bad you're too short."

"I'm only 14. I still have, like, 2 years to grow." Saori shot back. Menma shook his head.

"Not really. 16 is when you reach sexual maturity." He ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Tch. Good thing hair dye washed out."

"Yeah. Your head would be burning right now." Saori nudged her brother. "But hey! You grew your hair out! So now one will mistake you for Naruto! Or Arashi. Or father." Menma ignored her and ran to a rather large tree.

"Shade! Oh thank…not Kami!" Menma fell to his knees, hugging the tree, that gave the two of them shade.

"Get a hold of yourself! Sometimes I wonder who's more mature. You, a 21 year old. Or me. A 14 year old. We're almost home."

"Ah. Home. Do you think they've run out of ramen?"

"I hope not." Saori shivered. "That… that's the stuff of nightmares!"

"Correction. Those are your nightmares. As well as Naruto and mom's. Oh, and Natsumi, Kimiko, Himiko…"

"Okay, I get it. We're obsessed with ramen. But at least we're not as obsessed as Lin is with oranges. Or Ren with bananas."

"Who?"

Saori sighed. "Friends of mine. Back at the capital. They're celebrities."

"Oh. You're talking about those idols! Right?"

"Yes."

"You're friends with them?"

"Yes."

"I see."

"Oh hey, Hokage Mountain!

 **(Euterpe- Guilty Crown)**

* * *

 **Well that ending totally wasn't rushed.**

 **Disclaimer: Yeah I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would easter eggs and references to Dragon Ball Z like every 5 minutes.**

 **Happy going back to school! (Don't worry I'm going back to school next week)**


	3. Evil and Dark are not the same

**(Departures-Blessings-Guilty Crown OP1)**

* * *

It was a dark room. But not so dark that Kazuma couldn't see. What little light there was, was squarely in the center. Sitting in that old wooden chair, stained with blood and shit, was their good old friend, the bandit leader Souta. Lying around him were puddles of his own blood. There also happened to be a stray thumb lying around. Kazuma smiled grimly at the bandit leader.

Souta lifted his head. Eyes wide with fear. A strong pungent smell filled the small grey room. A dark spot appearing in what was left of the bandit's trousers. He began to shake violently and started to subtract numbers.

"How are you doing Souta-san?" Kazuma said with a twist of his mouth. Souta shook even harder as his sobs rang out. "Calm down. I've let you keep your manhood. So try not to lose it, will you?"

"Please…I don't…I…I don't know anything else….I've told you all I know!" Souta sobbed even harder, blood seeping from his wounds, as his violent shaking opened them up.

"You know more than really do. It'll take some time, but you will tell us everything. In time." The black haired Namikaze flashed his teeth. "But in the meantime, clean up." Souta continued to shake, ignoring the stale bread and murky water laid out on the table in front of him. A wet rag had been thrown onto him. "I'll be back after lunch." Kazuma slowly walked backwards away from the light and into the shadow.

Standing next to the two way mirror was Ibiki, a frown on his scarred face. Kazuma raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?" The head interrogator shook his head.

"Have you learned anything Important?"

"Depends. What counts as important? We aren't going to get anything super important out of him, they're locked it away in his mind. I had Inoichi look through, but he said that it would take more than a month to get through into his head."

"Interesting. Well what has he said?"

"Bandit movements, bandit camps. Their supplier. They may be important. I haven't looked into it yet." Kazuma leaned back onto the table, as Ibiki frowned once more. "Something is obviously up."

"Your father wants you to tone it down a little." That was no surprise, his father never did like his method of interrogation. But it worked. "And frankly, I agree." If it was possible Kazuma's eyebrow raised up high. Ibiki then walked out of the room silently.

"I'll think about it!"

"Think about what?" Kazuma slowly turned his head to the side. Standing next to the door was a girl with short red hair, a big smile on her face. Over the standard Anbu uniform, she wore a red jacket that stopped at the midriff.

"Nothing you need to worry about?" Kazuma squinted at her. "How'd you get in here Natsumi?" He could've sworn that there was only one door.

"The door. Didn't you see me walk through?" Kazuma shook his head. "Well, anyways, father said you had something for me to do."

"Ah yes. Do you know any Black Market Dealers called Suzuki Hirano?" Natsumi frowned, but nodded.

"Yes. A couple of months ago I staked out his place. Rumour has it that he has ties with the old Akatsuki organization. Why do you need to know?"

"Our friend in there tells me that he's their supplier. Since you've already had experience with him, I want to you spy on him. Gather Intel. Something tells me he's more than just a Black Market dealer."

"Yeah, I said that in my report too. I'm not going to make any promises, I already have my hands full with Iwagakure spies. I'll try to spare some time for it though." Natsumi said with an apologetic smile. Natsumi looked at Souta, who was still convulsing uncontrollably.

"Anyways, have you seen Kimiko…?" Natsumi's eye twitched slowly. She was alone, the door was open. "Fucking hell. Could you at least say no instead of doing your Nightingale act!?"

* * *

 **Konoha General**

Saori sat patiently next to her brother, as he told his story. Some of it made her heart ache. The plight of the people of The Land Hidden by Smoke. It made her sad. But some of what he said sounded like he had just made it up. If Naruko weren't there to confirm, then she definitely would have thought that, maybe her brother had been hit a little too hard.

"…So before we left, I made a promise to the girls. Kisara specifically." At this Saori's ears perked up. Her lips curled. What a guy her brother is. "I promised that I would save her from her shithole of a life. Fat chance of it happening, and it might have given her false hope, but…Well, I think you get the gist of it."

The youngest daughter leaned back in her seat with a skeptical look. "So you're telling me, that you promised a girl that you just met, that you would save her?"

"Basically yes." Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, wincing all the way.

"And, how come you didn't use your Jinchuriki form against Hayato? You said he was pretty strong."

"Would you believe me if I told you that I comepletely forgot about it?" Saori shook her head in disbelief.

"I can. You're the kind of guy that would do that." Kenji commented from his place at the windowsill next to Naruko who was fuming. She was angry at something, and Naruto noticed.

"Something wrong 'Ruko?" Then Naruko snapped.

"What's wrong!? Are you really that fucking dense!? You moron!" She yelled at her twin, who didn't so much move a muscle.

"What did I do?"

"Fuck off." Naruko stormed away, slamming the door closed, in her barely restrained anger. The sound of her stomping footsteps could still be heard. Kenji sighed.

"I'll make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." He strode out the door quickly, turned and gave his siblings a two finger salute before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto sighed deeply, looked down at his bandaged arms. "How long are you going up this charade, 'Ruto?" Saori bit into her apple and leaned forward.

"I don't fucking know anymore. If you asked me a year ago I would have said, until she gets over me. But then again, I also said that, the year before that and the year before that. But, it's so obvious. It'll never go away." Naruto buried his head into his arms.

"You've know about this for how long?" Saori crossed her legs. She didn't understand why her brother couldn't just straight up say it to Sayoko. What was wrong with rejecting her? It's not like they still couldn't be friends right? _Pssh. Yeah right. You're smarter than this Saori. You're a genius remember!_

Naruto looked up at her. "Since the beginning. I'm not really sure why I thought letting get this far was a good idea." He let a bitter laugh. "It's gone on way too long. She still thinks she has a chance."

Saori frowned. "Then why don't you give her a chance?"

Another bitter laugh resounded throughout the room. "I can't. If I could, I would. But I just can't. But I do love her. Just…not in the way that she wants me too. I love her like a sister. Like I love you. It would feel wrong."

A smile slipped onto her face. "Try telling that to Kenji and Himiko."

The door flew open and, locks of blonde hair spilled through, Himiko's head poking through the door, a sweet smile on her lips.

"What was that!?" Her killing intent flowed in waves. Both Naruto and Saori shivered and shook their heads violently. "That's what I thought." The door slammed closed once more and the two siblings let out a breath.

"Getting back on track…" Saori began. "Just let her try. Take her out one date. If things don't work out, then too bad."

"If only it could be that easy."

"Sayoko isn't one to hold a grudge. She won't risk her relationship with you, just because you decided that things aren't going to work out."

"Things aren't going to be that easy. If I break her heart, Sasuke would murder me. Itachi would murder me. Shisui would murder me. If I mess things up, things may never work out."

Saori let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay. It's obvious, you're not going to budge. Let's move on." She knew when to give up.

"How's life in the capital?"

"Edo is nice…" Saori shrugged her shoulders. The capital city of Edo put every other city she'd ever been in to shame. The streets were paved with marble as smooth as a baby's bottom, the statues and monuments were made of gold that shone brilliantly. Especially in when the sun reached its highest point in the sky. "The people are very kind…But that's the reason why crime in Edo is so low. That and the security there is absurd. You can't go 10 feet without randomly searched. It's insane. Annoying too, if I didn't have a government pass." She whipped out a shiny plastic, red card, with a holographic flame in the center. "Like it? Menma made it. I designed it though."

Naruto smiled, his eyes crinkling. "Looks awesome. Nice and simple. You think I can could get one?"

"Oh of course." She then reached for bag and fished around it for couple of second. "Hold on a sec." Saori grinned and held up an identical looking card. "Our entire family gets one." Saori let a peep as a hand reached out from the window and plucked the card from her hand.

"Can I keep this one?" A bright smile took up most of the space on the redheaded girls face. Natsumi leaned out from the window. Her smile grew when Saori's face brightened at the sight of their oldest sister.

"Tsumi-chan!" Saori wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her tightly. "I've missed you! More than usual anyways."

"I didn't." Naruto smirked, Natsumi grinned and playfully brought a fist down on top of her brother's head.

"So mean." Natsumi laughed and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Kiddin'. Whatcha guys talkin 'bout?"

Saori shrugged. "Oh stuff."

"Well whatever you guys were talkin' about obviously didn't tickle 'Ruko's pickle! Which is impressive! Ain't much that can under her skin! 'Cept the fact that 'Ruto is an amazin' acta!" Saori's mouth began to twitch as if she wanted to say something.

"So you know?"

Natsumi scoffed. "Who don't!? The only people who don't know is the lady 'erself! And little 'Ruko!"

"Can you please stop talking like that? I'm not a kid anymore you know." Saori wrinkled her nose. Natsumi rubbed the back of her head apologetically.

"Sorry. I just got used to talkin' like this to you, ya know? But I'll stop if it bothers you so much. But speaking of siblings, where's Menma? There's something I have to ask him."

* * *

 **The Hokage's office**

Menma stared his older brother down with blank eyes. Arashi looked back not moving much. The Anbu commander finished his report and was dismissed.

"Menma! Your turn." The inventor stood up and walked to the front of the room. Sitting down in the seats in front were his father, Arashi, Himiko and Kazuma. Among others were Kakashi, Shikaku and other members of the shinobi council.

"Alright. Based on my research and investigation of what was left of the four villages, I can conclude that we are only up against one man." He looked around the room, their faces were skeptical. "The level of destruction was on another level."

"I conducted several tests, measuring the levels of chakra especially. And my results tell me that only something with 100 to 1000 times the chakra of a normal shinobi could have done that much damage."

"Now. What does this mean? It means, either our guy has an insane amount of chakra, or is a jinchuriki." Menma flipped a page, eyes scanning his notes. He took a second to catch his breath. "Or…It could be something else. The levels of Chakra in the village were off the charts. It was deep in the soil, the walls. Around 20 percent of the chakra was standard blue chakra. 80 percent was abnormal chakra. And around 5% were natural chakra. Chakra of the earth, the ground and people. The other 95%...was Black Chakra."

"Black Chakra is something only users of the Bloodline Dark Release can produce Black Chakra. Only demons can produce Black Chakra." Panicked murmurs and whispers spread through the council. "But that doesn't mean we're up against a demon. No, the last demon was imprisoned over 500 years ago in the great Sky Cell in Kumo. We don't have to worry about that."

"Now, I did more tests, and the more I thought about my theory, the more I was convinced. A user of dark release makes Black Chakra by absorbing normal Blue Chakra and converts it to Black Chakra." Arashi's eye's narrowed as he caught on. "The tailed beasts aren't the only beings made up of pure chakra. Suzaku the Vermillion Bird of the South for example is one that we revere and worship. But he is made up of Divine Chakra."

So here is my theory. The person responsible for this, absorbs the chakra of the villagers. He or she then converts it to black chakra. Then either using some special technique or a special device, creates a tailless tailed beast." Menma let that settle in for a second before continuing on. "Now, what makes them different from normal chakra beasts? Well, for one, Black Chakra is corrosive and melts objects upon contact. It also seeps into the surrounding area, and when natural chakra becomes in contact, it slowly converts into Black Chakra. The area affected becomes infertile. No life can grow since there is no natural chakra, which is what makes things grow. Just being around Black Chakra is dangerous. Black Chakra can seep into the ground, as I have said earlier and travels into anything with Natural or Blue Chakra and tries to convert them. If a person's chakra coils were to become infected with Black Chakra, his body would be melting from the inside out, and even if the Black Chakra is stopped before it can spread, it has already done enough damage. Infertility, Chakra Lock, loss of nerves in the body, critical blood loss, Chakra deficiency. All things that aren't good."

Menma held up a finger. "But, that only applies to normal civilians. People who aren't used to a physical chakra. However, we have. Especially those with special kinds of chakra. Jinchuriki Chakra, is the closest thing to Divine Chakra. Black Chakra cannot convert Divine Chakra, or anything similar to it. For some reason. I still have to do some more research." He then walked up to his desk and picked up a small device. "This is a special device I created that can negate the effects of Black Chakra. How? Simple. During my research I encountered Fu. The Jinchuriki of the 7 tails. She allowed me to take samples of her Jinchuriki Chakra. I've managed to replicate her Chakra. But only enough for at least 15 people. I don't have enough samples of Jinchuriki chakra to mass produce it. Does anyone else have anything to say?"

Jiraiya stood up. "Yes. During my travels, I encountered some ancient texts that talk about a special seal that can negate "Dark Chakra", I still have them so we test it out." He then sat down. Next it was his father who stood up.

"During my time in Uzushio, your grandfather talked to me about a special technique that could repel "Evil Chakra". I'm pretty sure that Evil Chakra, Dark Chakra and Black Chakra are all the same. Uzu is the land of Seals, so if there is anything that could help, it should be in the Library."

"Is there anything else that you need to report?" Arashi voiced.

"Nothing that isn't already known." Menma then sat back down as one of the councilmen stood up and began his report. At first Menma listened intently. Jotting down notes and providing information if necessary. However, as time went on, his mind began to wander. Menma held up his arm and stifled his yawn, before laying his head down.

When his eyes reopened the room was empty and dark. "You're awake. Good. I have something I need to discuss with you." Arashi flipped the light switch on. It was only the two of them. Menma payed his brother no mind and stretched out his back. The sound of paper landing onto the desk echoed throughout the room. Menma picked it up gingerly. It was a blueprint. His eyes scanned it quickly before stuffing it into his bag.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Arashi shrugged.

"Do whatever you think needs to be done, you're the genius inventor here. I trust that you can perfect it." Arashi left without another word. Menma sighed, and leaned back in his chair. He pulled out the design again. Arashi was up to something. Then again his older brother always seemed to be thinking ahead. Designing a new barrier to replace the outdated old one eh? Menma smiled and picked up a pencil lying on the desk. His hand became a blur as he began to make improvements.

As he took a break for his sore hands, Menma tore his gaze of off the blueprint and checked the clock. It was 8:00. Almost time for dinner with his family. His first in nearly 5 years. A smile graced his lips. It had so long since all of the Namikaze had been in the same place. With Natsumi and her spy network, Kimiko and her assassination group. Arashi and his increased responsibilities. It's been so long since all of the siblings had just relaxed and did something together. Aside from dinner.

Menma gathered his papers and stuffed them in a binder inside his bag. He stepped outside the door where Iruka and some other chunin were making their way to the mission hall. Walking past the break room, Menma spotted his father sitting and talking with his mentor.

The air outside was thick and full of scents and smells that Menma hadn't had savored in years. Lights dotted the streets and laughter filled the village. Despite it being evening, the streets were packed. Kids running around, chasing each other, playing, and doing what kids do. Their parents conversing, gossiping or scolding. It brought a slight twist of the mouth.

The dango shop that he and Naruko frequented was still going strong. It still looked the same as he remembered. The red bold wording on the white banner in the back was still there. As was the giant oak desk that Menma himself made, designed and sold to the establishment. Some of the regulars were there as well. Anko in her corner, Chouza and his son at the bar area.

The inventor walked past an apartment. He turned his head and looked at it intensely. Scanning the windows as he walked by. One window in the highest corner to the right to be exact. His gaze lingered on that one for a second longer than the others. Menma's eyes narrowed when his eyes moved over a letter in the mail box. _Kanade._ He strode forward and plucked the letter out of its box.

"You still live here huh? Despite all the bad memories that it gives you?" He closed his eyes and stuffed the letter into a flap inside his bag. "Kanade…" it stung to say her name out loud. Seeing all of the old places they used to go only made the pain worse.

Ichiraku Ramen and those times when she and his siblings tried to make him like ramen. A bitter smile played on his lips. He remembered how she personally fed him, despite it looking weird. Thinking about her response made Menma stop and look inside the restaurant.

" _Because that's what couples do right? We feed each other!"_

The Library of Tobirama, now that brought on some memories. All those times when they would sneak in to study after hours. Those times when he asked her to keep the fact that he "borrowed" books a secret. That one time Arashi found them in the corner sleeping after the library closed. Menma walked through the stained wooden doors that he walked through oh so many times.

He waved at the librarian who, despite all of the trouble he had caused her, seemed happy to see him back. The first thing he asked was. "Where does Kanade work now?" Her answer wasn't a surprise. The lines around his eyes crinkled as he smiled. Menma made his way to the science section of the library, searching for something.

He found it. A thick, hardcover book. Over 800 pages, 500 hours of research and 3 years' worth of hard work he put in it. **Advanced Chakra Theory-** By Menma Namikaze. He flipped through it, smiling at the little inside jokes only Saori or Kanade would understand. Kanade. That brought an idea to mind.

He went back up the desk and didn't even get a chance to open his mouth, as the librarian took the book from his hand and signed it out.

"Bring it back in good condition will you? These cost a lot of money." Menma grinned and laughed. His spirits lifted and his mind clear, Menma knew what he had to do. Menma walked out of the library felt someone touch his shoulder.

"Oi Menma! Where are you going? You're gonna be late for dinner!" Natsumi smiled and wrapped her arms around her younger brother. "Hey…What's that? A letter? For who…Oh." She smiled and stepped back, a sad look in her eyes. "I'll tell mom that you'll be late. But, a word of warning. Try not to make things…worse than they already are." Menma nodded and wordlessly continued to make his way to the academy.

A sad smile seemed permanent on his face. These streets, where the two of them would race to the academy as kids. These streets where they would run to her apartment whenever it rained. A humourless laugh escaped from his lips. The ruined wall from their adventures was still there. Allowing perverts to peek as they would like on girls. Though to be fair, they built behind it.

The large Sakura tree that they would have lunch under was slowly dying. Its leaves dark and colourless. Branches, dead and drooping. Bark peeling of off the trunk. All those times they would hide in the branches whenever they skipped school.

The academy looked the same. As it always did. Some things would never change. No matter which generation. Be it the 3rd Hokage, or the 15th Hokage. The academy would never change. Sure, the things they would learn would change, but the building itself? Never.

The lights were on. Of course teachers would stay behind to work after hours. It was something that would also never change. Menma pushed the doors open and took in the memories of his time in the academy. It filled him with nostalgia. He walked up the steps, two at a time. He walked closer toward the lights.

He stood outside room 35. It was their homeroom. He looked inside hoping to see someone there. Menma sighed and leaned against the wall. He put on a smile and waited.

10 minutes later the light closed and the door opened.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Kanade smiled at Menma. Her long black hair tied to the side and over the shoulder. Her eyes shone glossily. She wore the standard Konoha chunin/Jonin uniform. Menma held out the letter. "Oh. For me? How many times have I told you not to search through my mail?"

"Countless times. But you know, geniuses never listen to anyone, but themselves." Menma stuffed his hands into his jacket. "Plus, I got you a present."

"Oh really? If I remember correctly your presents were shit. Like that time you filled my teddy bear with dirt and manure." Kanade locked the door and stuffed the key into her pockets. "Shall we go to my apartment?"

"Can't. Don't want to be late for our family dinner." Menma smiled. "Then again, it's what? 9? I'm already late." The two exited the building wordlessly. Menma leaned against a pillar as Kanade locked the door.

"When did you start teaching?"

Kanade looked up at him, her mouth closing and opening repeatedly. "After you left." She laughed. "The youngest teacher ever. 16 years old!" She laughed again, her voice devoid of any humour.

Menma looked down at the ground. "How many times?"

His companion's jaw, tightened. "I stopped counting after 30. After that, your father confronted me and told me that I needed to see help." She laughed bitterly. "I wished I'd gotten help sooner."

"Let me guess. It was Kakashi?"

"You always were too perceptive for your own good."

Menma smiled bitterly. "I prefer to call it, a quote on quote good hunch."

"Heh. But to answer your question, yeah. It was. He found me outside my apartment, surrounded by bottles. He dragged me to the hospital, only let me off with a warning though." They stopped at the cherry tree, Kanade knelt down and picked up a bunch of flowers.

"Then he found me passed out under here. Alone. Drunk." She sighed, looking up at the tree. "He told me that the academy had a spot open. I'm not sure what he thought would happen. But enough about my shitty story about how I became a teacher. What's going on in your life?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Meeting with spies, doing research, making inventions that won't ever be used how I want them to." Menma let out a deep sigh. He pointed at the small red bridge that went over the hot springs. "You remember when we decided to "prank" Shikari?" They laughed at the memory, of a pineapple headed boy, falling into the stream.

"Yeah, and then he almost drowned to death. Eh heh. Funny right?" Kanade said with a wry smile on her lips. "Then we got really into trouble. "

"But it was just a prank! It was supposed to be funny!" Menma said in a mocking tone, his arms waving around wildly. The two shared a laugh.

"Is it hard taking care of Saori?"

Menma shook his head. "Not really. She's normally a good sport. Especially when we have days off. Those are usually the best days. Don't have to worry about research. Don't have to meet up with assholes who would buy my inventions for the wrong reasons. Don't have to worry about my inventions breaking." He stopped and turned to look at Kanade. "Don't have to worry about a war breaking out."

Kanade smiled grimly. "Sounds stressful. Makes my work seem easy." The two stopped at Kanade's apartment. Right outside her door.

"Don't worry too much about it."

"I know. I know. It's just, I can't shake the feeling that something big is about happen." She led them inside and set her bad down on top of the coffee table. "I'm not talking about the war either. The war is going to happen. Sooner or later. Something else is going to happen. Something big."

Menma stayed silent, looking around the apartment. It looked the same as it did back then. "You're not the only one who thinks like that. I suppose you're right though."

"I just hope that the cost of winning is worth it." Kanade whispered. She reappeared around the corner. Her hair no longer braided to the said. It was flowing freely down to just above her butt.

"It's never worth it. The peace built of off those sacrifices never last." Kanade smiled and sat down next to Menma.

"You know…I can't even remember the last time you talked like this. Seriously I mean." She pursed her lips.

"Heh. I do. But…it brings up bad memories I know." Menma's eye's wandered over to the diamond perched up on a pedestal sitting atop the coffee table. "I'm surprised you kept it."

Kanade lowered her head and rested it on Menma's shoulder. "I kept the ring too."

"I never had a doubt."

 **Ichiraku Ramen**

* * *

Saori let out a breath of air, as she momentarily stopped inhaling her bowl of ramen. Sitting next to her was Natsumi who had a smile on her face, as she set down her bowl of ramen. To their right were Naruto and Naruko. The former of which was literally inhaling his ramen. His twin looked bored, as if she had seen it all before.

"Nothing beats a bowl of ramen eh?" Saori grinned. Naruto ignored his siblings and continued to act like a human black hole. "Or 2…3. 4…okay maybe that's too much." Saori's grin faltered as Naruto kept on going.

Naruko sighed, exasperated. "Don't even try. When ramen is involved, nothing short of death will stop him."

Her twin looked up at her. "You're exaggerating." His sisters stared at him, wiping off bits of noodles dabbing tissues on their clothes. He quickly swallowed his current bowl. "Sorry."

"What's the most he's ever eaten?" Saori voiced, her mouth opening in awe, and disgust. Mostly disgust.

"24-25 give or take." Naruko twisted on her spinning chair, leaning back against the wooden bar. "Don't ask how I know. I was there to see it. And I don't ever want to see it again."

Natsumi snorted. "Why are you here then?" Their oldest sibling lifted up her glass beer mug.

"Because Saori asked me to come."

"Don't bring me into this."

Naruto dropped his bowl loudly, as well as a couple of coins onto the counter. He then grinned and wrapped his arm around her. "Too bad!" he moved his mouth to beside her ear and stage whispered. "Now you're even closer."

"O.K." Natsumi looked a little creeped out. "While you two go commit the act of incest, I'm gonna go and bother Menma." She then winked and made a clicking sound.

"Geez, we were only hugging. Plus does she even know where Menma is?" the blonde boy intertwined his hands behind his head as they walked out of Ichiraku.

"Menma walked by. You'd have noticed if you weren't too busy stuffing your mouth." Naruko smirked at her brother who stuck his tongue out at her. "Anyways, what did you want to show us Saori?"

Saori turned to her older siblings and began to walk backwards. "Let's get to a training field first. Then I'll show you. Maybe."

"You're not pranking us are you?"

A laugh escaped Naruto's lips. "Uh sis, I'm the prank master, so I can tell I'm getting pranked. Especially by my own protégé." Naruko looked at him with annoyance.

"Doesn't matter. 100% average in all our classes. Smarter than you."

"Oh yeah, like a piece of paper from 4 years ago still counts. Who told you that? Sakurai" Saori remained silent. Her hand reached into her pouch and pulled out a small rectangular device and clicked a button on it. A beep let out, but the sound of the streets drowned it out. Bold, blocky letters appeared. **RECORDING**.

"Sakurai probably said that because he's scared."

"Scared of what?"

Naruto shrugged. "Dunno. Stuff."

"Uh, huh. What kind of stuff"

Naruto turned his head ever so slightly to the side. "Uh…Having to be submissive?"

"What!?" his twin screeched, her colour rising, fist clenched, teeth gritted, iris' become cat-like.

"Look. I'm just suggesting that you may want to start taking the pill…Then again Sakurai isn't that careless."

"We're only 16!" Naruko hissed, leaning in close to her brother. Saori stifled her laughter behind her hand. After calming down, Saori added her own voice to the conversation.

"Well, you guys are shinobi, which means you're _technically_ adults. So your age, doesn't really matter in this case." Naruko glared at her.

"Whose side are you on!?"

"Does Menma's count?"

"NO!" Naruko roared. She then stormed away, heading towards the Namikaze Mansion.

"Well that escalated quickly." Naruto and Saori turned behind them to see Kazuma coming out of a grocery store, grocery bags in hand.

"You have no idea."

* * *

 **Namikaze Training Ground**

"Alright…we're here. What now!?" Naruko threw her arms out to the side. The training ground of Namikaze's was only a 15 minute walk away from the mansion itself. It was more spacious than normal training fields, to accommodate for Kenji's…temper and Arashi's habit of "Experimenting".

A stream, about 4 feet at its widest and half a foot at its narrowest, ran through the middle of the field, scattered with small rocks and pieces of logs. A few oak trees dotted the field, as well as some craters. The biggest one being 15 feet in diameter.

Saori sat underneath the biggest tree. Unlike the others it was birch not oak. But it was nearly 3 times as large and as old as the largest oak. Its largest branch was as wide as Naruto was tall. Their father told them that it had been there for nearly a thousand years. Older than even the Shinju itself.

"Come closer children. Momma has something to show you." At Naruko's murderous gaze, Saori shut her mouth and held her hand out. "Watch."

A bright light began to emit from her palm. Her eyes closed slowly. When they closed fully, the light formed a light blue rectangular prism. Saori clenched her jaw tight. The chakra construct then began to transform, slowly turning into a clear blue 3 foot long katana. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Ta-da!" before she promptly leaned over and almost fell, had Naruto not caught her.

Naruko's eyes were wide. "I can't believe it." She turned to her sister, who Naruto had propped up against a wall. Naruko reached out and gripped the hilt of the sword, at first lightly. Then, she gripped it like she would any other sword. "You did it!" She then swung the blade around, testing it.

Saori opened her eyes. "Yep! Only took about 5 years of hard work and 80% of my chakra to make, but once I get the hang of it, I'll be able to make constructs without wasting chakra!"

Naruto couldn't help but smile. He patted Saori on the head. "How'd you do it? Arashi tried and ended up in the hospital, almost exhausted his whole chakra stores."

"Well, Arashi didn't have the world's leading experts in Chakra Constructs and Chakra Theory or Menma's research papers. If he did, Arashi would've perfected it in a year. I can guarantee it."

Naruto's mouth twisted. "Save us all of off the details later."

Saori grinned. "No need. All you really need is Menma's book, **Advanced Chakra Theory** I think it's called."

Naruko frowned. "Where is Menma anyways?"

* * *

 **Kemuri City- The Land Hidden by Smoke**

Hayama yawned and leaned back into his chair. In the bed in front of him was his twin Hayato. A hand ran through his brown hair, as he tried to understand what had happened.

 _Hayato roared, slamming his foot into the ground. The ground shattered into pieces, the force of the stomp travelling all the way to the giant crystal, which caused it to shatter as well. Any remaining walls were flattened by the shockwave he created._

 _The Blue charged towards the brat who thought that today would be a good idea to mess with him. Hayato raised his fist and…flew back into a pile of rubble of to the side. Before he could even react the blonde brat, wait…why was he female now? It wouldn't matter as the brat would smash a blue sphere into his side which blew him through the remnants of a wall._

 _Pain shot up his spine. He turned his head to a see a pink-haired boy, smash his fist into his face. After that Hayato lay in the ground, body racked with pain. Standing over him was a man with silver hair, a man whose forehead protector covered one eye. A man that struck fear into the hearts of many. Kakashi the Copy-cat._

 _Kakashi's right hand stiffened as lightning began to spark around it, until the entire fist was covered in bolts of electricity. The jonin raised his hand, ready to strike down Hayato. His eye then darted to the right and he jumped back, barely avoiding a golden beam._

Hayama sighed, retracting his hand from Hayato's forehead. That was all his brother had been around for, before he blacked out. Hayama wasn't there for most of what happened. Rika's advisor had only turned up at the very end. Mostly to see if his brother was still alive.

He looked up, as the door opened. Out came a women of 25 years, with long golden hair that went past her buttocks. Her face was one that Hayama would describe as beautiful. High cheek bones, heart shaped face, plump lips. But her eyes, killed any notion that she was beautiful. Those stormy grey eyes looked dead, devoid of any emotion. Her face also absent of any lines that would have suggested laughter or a smile.

No, Rika Akabane didn't have time for that. She turned and walked to the footrest of Hayato's bed. She gave him a quick look-over before diverting his attention to Hayama. The advisor barely managed to avoid flinching at her gaze.

"Do you have any need of me milady?" He asked bowing his head.

"No. Come take a walk with me Hayama. Tell me what you see." He stood up and moved as fast as his legs would go, to catch up to Lady Rika. She stopped in front of the main balcony of her palace. The courtyard glistened, as the sun reflected its rays off of the ice. Past the walls of the palace, the city lay, covered in smoke and ashes. Explosions rocked the city.

The city stretched for as far as Hayama could see. Well, as far as the mist would allow him to see. Even from the palace, the stench could be smelt. The scent of dead bodies, burning, rotting. The smell of fresh shit on the street. The stench of unbathed citizens. The scent of rotting food. It was a dynamite waiting to explode.

"Well? What do you see?"

"I see a powder keg, waiting to be lit. Soon, disease will spread and death will come in waves. As if it doesn't happen already." Hayama looked at his mistress. She paid little attention to his statement. Or so it seemed most of the time.

"Filthy. All my father's work. I've been ruling for more than 21 years, and yet nothing has changed from the day I took over my moron of a father. In fact, things seem to be getting worse." She said tonelessly.

"Well it can't get worse." Hayama recoiled at the slap that he received. He moved his hand across his cheek and felt blood.

"Don't be a fool." Rika turned and stared into Hayama's eyes. "Never tempt fate. Even if it seems bad, it can always get worse." She walked away briskly, her hand motioning Hayama to follow.

They stood atop the silver floored rooftop of her palace. She stood directly next to the giant Hawk Statue. Rika held out a hand and pointed at a massive mass of men out beyond the city walls.

"Do you see that? The rebels. They are rallying outside the walls. Preparing to leave. Preparing to attack."

"Should we get the army ready milady?"

"No. Tell your men to keep watch and keep their guard up. Higher than normal." Fear ran through Hayama's spine as Rika Akabane smiled, the muscles around her mouth and eyes crinkling. "The Game is finally about to start."

* * *

 **(My dearest-Guilty Crown OP1)**

 **Whoo! Chapter 3!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

 **Who's excited for One-Punch Man the Anime? Only me? Okay…**


	4. Diplomatic relations are a must

**(The Everlasting Guilty Crown-Guilty Crown OP2)**

* * *

Arashi crossed his legs and leaned farther back into his chair. Of course Kenji was late. He glanced up at the clock with half lidded eyes and sighed loudly. Sitting to his right was their father, with his arms crossed.

"If he doesn't get here soon…I'm not making any promises that he's going out of this alive." Arashi diverted his attention to one of the two in front of him. Kage Tanaka, was one of the village's finest. In more than one way. His stringy red hair and glowing green eyes often got him confused with the Uzumaki. This coupled with his preference of mostly black clothing got him confused with Kenji a lot.

Kage was someone that Arashi got along well with. Mostly at the behest of his fiancé, Kage's sister, Akane. However, Kenji and Kage never did get along well. With people getting the two confused and such. It didn't exactly give a good first impression. Especially since Kage and his sister were their wards. His father had saved them from Kumo during the third war.

Most of the Namikaze often treated the two as part of the family themselves. Except Kenji. He didn't hate Kumo, but he didn't particularly like them either. Arashi shook his head and rested his feet on his desk and leaned his chair on its back legs.

"Don't worry Hokage-sama, I'll make sure these two don't kill themselves. Though I can't promise that they'll come out comepletely unscathed." Sojirou voiced, glaring at his teammate. Arashi closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what to think of him. Sojirou was Tsugumi's boyfriend. It was hard to picture that the weak willed and cowardly kid he had once been would ever start dating his twin. It was hard to tell Sojirou apart from the crowd, his dark brown hair and brown eyes blending in with the crowd. It was both a good thing, and a bad thing. Good, because it would be easier for him to blend into crowds. Bad, because he wouldn't be memorable. Arashi could never understand Sojirou's fear of being unmemorable.

Arashi leaned forward, wrapped his cold, long digits around an energy drink. He smiled at the taste of grapes. Menma really should've been a business man rather than a ninja.

"Hey Arashi…Is Menma still in the village? I didn't get a chance to meet up with him." Speaking of Menma…Arashi shrugged. He didn't really know where Menma was, but he did know that he was still in the village. Unless he decided to ditch Saori for Kanade.

"I don't know. But he's still here I think." Truth to be told, Arashi really didn't know what his brother was thinking, bringing Kanade into this mess. Kanade had an idea of what the bigger picture was, but…she had no idea what was really going to happen. If something were to happen though, Arashi knew that Menma would take responsibility.

Minato stood up and moved over to the window. "About time he got here." Arashi removed his feet from his desk and flung the aluminum can across the room into the waste basket adjacent to the door. Kenji and Sojirou shifted moving to the sides of the room, waiting for Kenji to make his inevitable dramatic entrance.

"I'm here!" Arashi pressed his mouth into a thin line as Kenji blew the door open. Unsurprisingly, most of the wooden shards flew towards Kage. Kenji strode into room, took one look at Kage and promptly turned around. Only to smash into Sojirou.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Uh…home. Duh. Where else?"

"No. I don't think so. You're going to be staying here, with Kage," Kage shot Sojirou a dirty look. "As punishment for making us wait."

"The consequences seem to be way too harsh in comparison to the crime." Kenji drawled, standing up to his full height of 6 feet. "Now…why am I here? I promised Himiko I would go to the orphanage with her."

Kage smirked. "You'd do it Himiko, but never seem to do it with any of your other siblings. What's up with that?" The two redheads exchanged heated glares.

"What I do with Himiko is none of your business!" Kenji hissed, smashing his forehead into Kage's, who stood his ground. "So why don't you go fuck off." Kenji stepped back and puffed up his leather jacket. If it was possible Kage's smirk only grew.

"Yeah. Whatever. It's not like your secret is actually you know…a secret and all that shit." Kenji gave Kage an angry glare. Arashi sensing the tension in the air, coughed grabbing everyone's attention.

"May I take the floor?" Minato nodded. Arashi stood up and grabbed a pile of papers stapled together and stood up. He gave each member one copy. "Now. War is on the horizon. That much is certain. What we need in a war, are allies. Now…there is little to no chance that Kumo would enter an alliance with us. Especially if the Totsuhara's lose the rebellion."

"I've already sent an envoy to Suna, and Iwa is comepletely out of the question, even if they have a new Kage." Arashi sat back down. "Moving on. I've managed to convince Yagura to have an audience with you. I would go, if I could. But there are some more pressing matters that I have to attend to." Arashi opened up his mini-fridge and pulled out another energy drink.

"Don't worry. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. Everything that is need to be said is on those papers. So you don't to worry about accidentally rubbing people of the wrong way." Kenji frowned. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, how long is this mission going to take?" Kage stuffed his hands into his pockets. "If something were to happen here…"

"Listen. Nothing is going to happen to Akane, alright? The reason why I chose you guys to go, is to show them, that despite our troubles, Konoha is strong. We are strong because of our troubles. They make us strong. I know this is very corny and dramatic, but you have to take this seriously." Arashi pressed his mouth into a line.

"If things don't work out…Then we'll just figure something out." His father said, sitting down in his seat. "Now, try not to cause an international scene alright? Are we clear on this?"

"O ye of little faith." Kenji looked insulted, his hand reaching for his chest, before breaking out a big grin. "We'll try."

Kage simply nodded, while Sojirou was too busy analysing the document. Arashi smiled and decided to add in something as well.

"Try not ripping each other's throats out okay? I promised Akane that her brother would come home. Unharmed." Kage snorted as if he had just heard a stupid joke.

"Oh he'll live, that's all I can guarantee. In a body cast maybe." Kenji's grin became playful. "Without eyes or ears maybe. Without a tongue."

"Please. As if you could." Kage turned to Arashi. "I'm not going to make any promises either. Just know that I'll try my best not to hurt Kenji too bad. Nothing that a permanent stay at the hospital can fix." He said with a smirk.

Sojirou looked up from the paper. "I'm not going to be able to sleep at night am I?"

"Nope!"

* * *

 _5:29_

Arashi stretched his arms and yawned. He wiggled his hand around, loosening the tightness in his hand that he gained from stamping papers, He looked back at his father who was still stamping away. Or at least one of his clones, as the original was taking his rest. Minato noticed his son looking at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not really. It's just…Was it a good idea to send those two together? I'm more concerned that they're going to cause a scene rather than them dying." Arashi stood up, opened a window and leaned out to smell the scents of the night. The smell of ramen, spices and whatever other foods there are.

Minato smiled at him. "Yes. They won't let anyone else kill the other, because only they can kill themselves. Don't worry about it. Sojirou is a good mediator, but he'll have his hands full this time." Arashi nodded, albeit skeptically.

"Do we have any more information on this Suzuki Hirano?" It was a name that Kazuma had brought up, that got Arashi interested. If he remembered right, he was the one responsible for the downward spiral of the Konoha economy. How? By stealing goods manufactured in Konoha and selling them to the Black Market.

His father shook his head. "Nothing as of yet. I've put Kimiko on the case though. I've told her to maim him only slightly." His lips curl up a bit. Kimiko was one of the few members of his family who shared his mentality.

"She'll pull through." Arashi sat back down and looked at the new documents that were dropped off at his desk. He quickly read through it, eyes widening. "Father…This is…"

Minato looked over his son's shoulder with calculating eyes. "Hmm, yes. Kumo is now bidding to become the host city of the chunin exams."

"But I thought they were still in the middle of a rebellion?"

"Hmm. I received word from Gaou Totsuhara earlier this day that the rebellion is over. That they had won. This shouldn't worry us too much. They'll still be rebuilding anyways."

Arashi bit his lip. "That's true. Plus the Totsuhara were always a very influential family. Without them, Kumo wouldn't have become the most powerful village in all of the Elemental Nations. They could easily pay for the rebuilding and still have enough money to pay for the exams. But why would they let potential enemies in when their defenses are still down?"

"Because they need to consolidate their power. They're showing that they aren't afraid to let potential enemies in. The people of Kumo have always been proud." His father took in a deep breath. "Let's just hope that the Totsuhara family doesn't make the same mistakes as the previous Kage's did."

Arashi sat back down and reread the papers on his desk. Something caught his eye. It was part of the report Kakashi had given them when his team returned from the Land Hidden by the Smoke. The gears in his head began to turn faster, and faster. He looked at the clock. It was 5:32 in the afternoon. _There is still some time. I'd best get going if I want to catch up with her._

Arashi stood up. "May I be excused?" Without even listening for his father's consent, he grabbed his bag and placed some papers in them.

"Of course. Oh, and while you're at it, find Kimiko. Her mission starts in a few hours and needs to be debriefed on it." Arashi nodded, strapped his bag to the side of his hip and proceeded to walk out of the room.

He stopped in the break room to get a cup of coffee to reinvigorate him. Trying to find Kimiko was…very difficult to say the least. It was no wonder she was called the real life Nightingale.

"Where could she be?" He muttered under his breath, setting his cup down onto the table the small stained coffee table in the room. He heard someone enter the room, but brought no attention to it.

"Arashi?" Arashi's eye's turned up and slowly turned his head to see a girl around his height with long light blonde hair that was so light it might as well have been white. She wore a black strapless dress that stopped short of the middle of her thigh underneath a bolero that was black as night. Her legs were covered with thigh high black leggings. "Am I seeing things? Arashi, Mr. All Work No Play, taking a break?" Kimiko's jaw opened, a look of disbelief setting in.

"Is that so hard to believe dear sister?"

She made a face at that statement. "Oh no. What do you want? You never call us that. You know what? I think I may need to sit down." Her long ponytail swished from side to side, colliding against a face that most would consider beautiful. If that cold calculating glint in her eyes ever went away.

"Well, I have something I need to discuss with you."

"Isn't that all you talk about?" Kimiko smirked, crossing her legs and draping her arm over the side of one of the couches. "But go on."

"Do you anyone by the name of Satoshi Hirai?" A surprised look crossed Kimiko's face.

"When I was undercover in the Cult of the Snake God, he was the first person I met." She shuddered. "Seems like a nice person when you meet him. Most of everyone thought so as well. He seemed harmless." Kimiko tapped the inside of her thigh with her thumb idly. "That is until the Grandmaster of the Cult died. Satoshi deemed it fine for him to take control. He was of course the second highest ranked member of the order."

"But then things turned violent when he announced himself the Envoy of the Yamato No Orochi." She pressed her mouth into a thin line. "That ticked off a lot of the other Grandmasters in other chapters of the cult. Our chapter got attacked a lot more. Like a lot more. We were treated as the black sheep of the cult."

She leaned forward intertwining her fingers. "…And then Satoshi decided to make a point known. I feigned sickness that day. I heard from my fellow cult members that they raided a village that worshipped the Yamato no Orochi, because they were calling Satoshi the fake Envoy."

Arashi furrowed his brow. "Before you continue, can you clarify what the Envoy is?"

"The Envoy of the Snake God, in the prophecies of the cult, is said to be the one to bring back the Yamato no Orochi. He is said to be the one to bring chaos and destruction the world, and become the Snake God's right hand."

"Continuing on, Satoshi decided to make an example of those that would oppose him as Envoy." Kimiko looked up at her younger brother. "Listen, whatever you're trying to do, don't go after Satoshi. There's something about him that just screams, "Stay away"."

Arashi smirked. "Not going to make any promises, but I'll try." His smirk disappeared as quick as at arrived upon his lips. Arashi shook his head. "What a mess things are turning out to be eh?"

Kimiko laughed bitterly. "Hn. Well I think when the "Child of Prophecy turned coat and betrayed us, that foreshadowed something." She laughed. "Do you think he's behind all the crap that's going on?"

"No. Kirei was never a leader or a follower. He always did his own thing."

"Then who do you think is actually behind all this?"

Arashi sighed. "Not really…but I have an idea." He sighed once again and crossed his legs. "Tell me…Have you ever heard of the Legend of Toru Tanaka?"

Kimiko looked puzzled. "I've heard the name, but I don't really know much."

"According to Kumo legend, Toru is responsible for essentially creating the city of Saikyo. Or the village now known as Kumogakure. However he is most known for creating the biggest and most expansive Library in the whole continent. The White Library."

Kimiko frowned. "And your point?"

"That's not all. Urban Legend says that Toru never died and still lives to this day." Kimiko scoffed.

"From what I recall the Legend of Toru began all the way back nearly 2000 years ago. In the early days of Chakra. Plus, do you really believe in urban legends?"

Arashi shook his head. "Not really. But it's an idea. And if Madara Uchiha lived Edfor as long as he did, then why can't a figure of Legend as well?"

"Well, you always did keep an open little brother." Kimiko smiled, jerking her head to the side, moving the hair out of her eyes. "Well, it's been a nice discussion, but I've gotta go and debrief now."

"Bye. And good luck!"

Kimiko turned her head over her over her shoulder, lips curling into a smirk, her eyes glinting. "I don't need it."

* * *

 **Edo, The Land of Fire**

Menma trudged his feet along the ground. His feet were sore and wet and dirty. Saori only laughed while Kanade chided him for wearing those cheap shoes that he bought because of his terrible foresight and forgetfulness. Well, at least Kenji offered to lend him a pair of his shoes.

What really irked him was how glacial their pace was. Well, to Menma it was. He would've liked it if they went faster. Now they were stuck outside a roadside stop, waiting for the girls to finish their business. Training or not, Saori could not control her bladder.

Kage was still the same as he remembered. Sarcastic, to the point where Menma wasn't sure whether or not he was being sarcastic whenever he said something. Sojirou was still a nerd and Kenji…

"So let me get this straight. Last night. You…did some uh…stuff with Kanade?" Kenji was fighting the smile and if his quivering was anything to go by he was also fighting back a laugh.

"Yes. A lot of stuff actually."

This time Kenji did laugh. "Sorry, but it's kind of hard to imagine you doing that. Especially after what happened when you first left."

"Look, can you just…I don't know, drop the subject? I don't feel like talking about it." As if Menma wasn't already pissed off. Truth to be told, he didn't know why he did what he did last night. It was stupid of him. He didn't want to drag Kanade into this. Now…

"Alright! Let's go! We're done!" Saori exclaimed. Leaping out of the building, a grin on her face, and arms out wide. Her face dropped when she felt the tension in the air. "What's wrong? Menma being a prick again?"

"Nah. It's nothing. Doesn't matter." They packed up their stuff and began to their travel. Most of their travel was in silence, with Kenji occasionally having to be pulled of off Kage and vice versa.

Menma, by the time they had reached Edo, was very tired. Not from the walking, otherwise he would be a pretty terrible a ninja, but rather from all of the stops and fights that broke out between Kage and his brother. It all just wore him out. He wasn't meant for close quarter fighting.

Most of the time, seeing those giant Platinum coloured twin gate towers would've annoyed Menma. But today, he welcomed their sight. Even those tower guards that always smelled of alcohol. Menma was tired.

He remembered when he first arrived here with Ryuunosuke, almost 5 years ago. The literal smooth marble streets and roads put Konoha's pothole and crack-ridden streets to shame.

The streets weren't the only thing that put Konoha to shame. Edo…was unbelievably clean. Not a single blemish visible. The highest buildings rose up higher than Hokage Mountain. Their glass windows shining against the sun.

More than once, Menma had to drag Kanade along by the arm. Edo was one of the oldest and most famous cities in the world. It was founded more than 3000 years ago. Nearly a thousand years older than the birth of Ninjutsu. In the era of the Samurai and the Age of Magic.

Some of the great monuments from those times still stood, thousands of years after they were first built. The statue of the first Daimyo of the country was most prominent. It's golden colour, bright against the sun, the diamonds used for its eyes breath taking. But it was an eyesore against some of the more modern buildings that Menma had designed. Its old design clashing against the more modern abstract design that Menma was so fond of.

The palace of the daimyo, called the _Amenoukihashi_ or the rather the **Floating Bridge of Heaven**. The first daimyo must have been rather narcissistic, naming his palace after the place in which Izanagi and Izanami created the world. But it certainly looked the part as well. Especially the newly added departments. It was as tall as Hokage Mountain itself. Though not as wide. The entire thing, excluding the new additions, were carved from a giant mountain. Menma did have to admit, that it looked absolutely breathtaking. The intricate artwork on the walls that stood the test of time, the gorgeous Stone goddess atop the golden dome that towered over the rest of the city.

Standing guard at the front of the lobby was a massive griffin made from an assortment of crystals. Mostly amethyst and emeralds, as diamonds are expensive, with rubies hard to come by and sapphires being so frail. The artist only used two absolutely massive pieces of diamonds. For the eyes of course. The wings were made of sapphire while the tail and talons made out of rubies. Like the rest of the city, the statue was huge. It was about 3 to 4 times taller than most of the houses in the city. So those diamonds must have been absolutely massive.

Guards were stationed at nearly every corner. There were guards at every exit. Menma was even sure he saw one of the daimyo's own Fire Guard Samurai among them.

Menma led Kanade to the citizenship registration or whatever it was called area, while Saori went off and did her own thing. The guards were all well acquainted with his sister, so they knew to leave her alone.

Leaning against the counter was Ryuunosuke himself. His mentor was a tall and lanky man of 6 or so feet. His black shoulder length hair was often tied into a ponytail, as it was today. His blue eyes were sharp and deep like an ocean. Most of the time they had a cold calculating quality about them just like Kimiko. Ryuunosuke was really the only person that Menma could trust in the city, apart from the Daimyo and Saori.

Ryuunosuke looked up from his book and narrowed his eyes at the sight of Kanade, before shifting over to Menma. "I see you're back. How was the trip?" His voice was very deep. It often stunned people to hear such a thin man speak like a body builder or a massive behemoth of a man. "Pleasant I hope?"

Menma nodded, his eye turning to Kanade momentarily. "Yes. It was. There was uh…a something I really had to do."

"Hmm. We'll talk about this thing you had to do later." Ryuunosuke's voice was cold and sharp, just like his eyes. "But first, I assume you'll want to have her registered as well, don't you Kanade."

Kanade nodded uncertain. "Well, we'll have to sort the paper work, but for now, all you need to do is sign these papers, and talk with one of the officials in the city." He handed her a stack of papers. "In fact why don't you go and do that right now. Don't worry, it won't take long. This is only the initial stage."

"I don't think Kanade should be going around by herself." Menma voiced. He didn't trust anyone here. Let alone a city official.

"If Kanade can't handle herself around city officials she shouldn't have been allowed to teach young children how to properly murder each other." Ryuunosuke retorted sharply.

"It's fine Menma. I can take care of myself." Menma grit his teeth and sighed. He finally relented, letting go of Kanade's hand. This was the absolute last thing that he wanted to do.

"I don't trust anyone here." Menma stated, his eyes boring into the back of Ryuunosuke's head. Everywhere he looked, he saw snakes, spiders, and rats. People that couldn't be trusted. People that would look at you like a hungry wolf would a doe.

"No. You don't trust anyone in a position of power." Ryuunosuke corrected. "And to an extent, you should be. This city runs rampant with greedy, power hungry assholes, who care nothing for you, except for how much money you can make him. But you can't distrust everyone. You have to trust. You need to."

"I do!" Menma argued. "I trust you, the daimyo and….yeah." he turned his eyes to the side, trying not meet his mentor's cold blue gaze.

"Listen. I know you simply want the best for Kanade." Ryuunosuke sighed. "Speaking of Kanade…What were you thinking!?" he hissed into Menma's ear. "I thought we agreed, that we wouldn't put anyone else in trouble. If anything happens to her…it's your fault and you will be held accountable."

"I know. I honestly don't know what I was thinking either." Menma looked back up at him. "But I know that she'll be safer here in the snake pit than in the powder keg that is Konoha that is waiting to be lit."

* * *

 **Kirigakure no Sato**

He had seen a lot of rain in his life, but Yagura had never seen it rain this hard before. Kisame said that it was definitely an omen. The shark man had been around longer and had seen a lot of rain storms as well but none had come close to this. This was also the longest it had rained for. More than 4 straight days of nonstop pouring rain. Many members of council had suggested that it was a hurricane incoming, but it was 5 months away from hurricane season.

Yagura looked up toward the dark and grey clouds. It certainly fit the current situation at hand. The horrible thought of war. Kiri was not ready. Yagura was not ready. He had barely managed to bring order to his village after the last generation of the Seven Swordsmen had rebelled. His hand twitched reflexively. The burn still visible, it would be a scar that would remain for the rest of his life. Or as Kisame would say, it was a badge of honour.

Looking around, Yagura spotted Shigure walking briskly towards him, a frown on her face, Yagura felt his face heat up. He didn't know why or when he started feeling this way, but Mei Terumi had said that it was normal for a boy of his age. But it was unbecoming of a king to feel this way to his subordinates. Yagura shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts.

Shigure was a member of his new bodyguards. It was suggested by Kisame that he create them, in order to replace the rebellious Seven Swordsmen. There had been nearly 100 suggestions, but only one really stood out. **Ryujin's Blades**.

The leader the Blades was Shigure. She was the last of her family. The last living Kaguya. And possibly the most gifted. Her enemies called her the Queen of Bones. Her long white hair flowed in tresses down her back all the way down to just above her waist. The white cloak that signified her position was soaked. Glowing silver eye's poked through her wet hair.

"There you are Yagura-sama!" She called out. "Our guests should be here soon. It would be unsightly for a king not to greet his honoured guests." Yagura smiled, putting his hood up, as they began to make their way to the northern gates.

"Are you sure that we should be doing this though? What if it's a ploy by Konoha?" Shigure still seemed unsure that this wasn't a cheap trick by Konoha, but everyone else seemed to be convinced. None of the countries, except maybe Iwa, was prepared for the outbreak of war.

"Relax. Nothing is going to happen. Besides. Konoha needs this alliance. Iwa hates them, and they've been mobilizing for the past year or so. Relations with Kumo are strained because of the incident with Kushina Uzumaki, and Suna will be of no help." Yagura said, trying to reassure Shigure. Despite having the most powerful fighters in the whole village at her disposal, she always fretted over the littlest things.

"What if they send Arashi?"

"They wouldn't do that. Arashi is too important to send out on missions like this, especially since that one-man village wrecking crew is running loose in their country side. He could attack at any moment." It made Yagura wonder why Iwa hadn't made a move on Konoha yet. While both Kumo and Kiri suffered from rebellions, Suna from an economic crash, and Konoha still feeling the effects of Kirei Uchiha's betrayal and the Kyubi incident. Iwa, on the other hand, was comepletely untouched. No rebellions, no civil wars, no economic crisis. Nothing. Only the assassination of Onoki of Both Scales, and even then they recovered nearly instantaneously.

Yagura's gaze wandered, scanning his village. Or rather the remnants of his village. The results of Kisame pulverising his former teammate, Kushimaru Kuriare into nothing but the remnants of an Anbu mask. To his right, the ruble from a giant tower, lay strewn about, as workers raced to finish the tower in its place. If Yagura remembered correctly, this was where Mangetsu Hozuki was cornered by his two younger brothers and killed.

"There you are! Thank the gods! I don't think I could last another day with this moron." Speaking of the Hozuki brothers, Saito was the youngest. He wore a cloak that was as black as night over his Anbu uniform. Sitting in the booth next to him was his older brother Suigetsu, who took after their now dead brother Mangetsu a lot.

"Stop exaggerating, idiot!" Saito retorted, flicking Suigetsu on the forehead. Yagura laughed as an audible thump could be heard. "Anyways, what are you here for?"

This time it was Suigetsu who smacked his brother upside the head. "He's here for Konoha's emissary dumbass!"

"Dumbass? I'm not the one who failed literally the easiest test in the whole world during our academy days."

"Hey! Kisame-sensei threw me the fuck off alright!? The answer had been c) for the last 15 questions, so why wouldn't it have been c) for the last question!?"

"Because it was the wrong answer moron! Maybe if you actually read the question…" Shigure coughed loudly, her face twisted in annoyance. "Anyways, they're in the bar across the checkpoint." Saito said lifting his hand up half way before having it slapped down by Suigetsu.

"I think they know where it is." Yagura bid them goodbye with an amused smile on his face. Though it seemed Shigure didn't quite share his sentiments.

"They should be doing their jobs instead of goofing off." Shigure muttered under her breath angrily. Yagura put a hand on her shoulder, calming her down significantly.

"Don't worry about them. They're in their natural environment. It's probably the best place for them to fight." He thought about that again. "Okay let me rephrase that. It's probably the best environment for them to fight in." Shigure nodded in reluctant agreement.

The bar in question was small and cozy. It was big enough for at least 10 to 15 people. Its oak wood floors felt good on Yagura's feet and they felt smooth, as did the tables. Sitting in the V.I.P corner, were three men. Two redheads that stood out like a sore thumb, and a plain looking brown haired man, who sat across from them.

The plain looking man spoke up when he caught Yagura's gaze. "Yagura-sama. A pleasure to meet you." He stood up and looked like he was about to bow. Yagura raised his hands, and he stopped halfway through the bow. "My apologies. I've yet to introduce ourselves. I am Sojirou Okamura, the redhead with long hair is Kage and the one with short hair is Kenji." Kage's gaze moved immediately to Shigure, his eyes moving up and down her figure. He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Kenji slapped his back.

"Don't do anything fucking stupid." Kenji then stood up. "We should probably do this somewhere else. Preferably your office Yagura-sama." To which Shigure nodded.

The last living Kaguya lead them to his office, while Yagura himself engaged in small talk with the dignitaries from Konoha. From what he could gather, Kenji and Kage…didn't get along well. It wasn't the kind of playful teasing and insulting that Suigetsu and Saito did. There was some real venom behind their words. It made Yagura question whoever chose the two of them to go on this mission together.

Soon the building in which his office was stationed at appeared in the horizon. It's deep purple walls blending in to the grey and rain filled sky. Only part of it actually was above the ground. The other 75% of it was underground. Long winding and seemingly endless hallways. The first thing that Yagura would use to describe the building if anyone asked him to. Which thankfully no one has yet to.

His office was messy. Papers strewn about everywhere, stamps and ink all over the place. His chair was in the far corner of the room, all the way across from where his desk was. It was unfitting for a king to be this messy. Yet Yagura liked it this way. He actually where everything was, despite the random look of the room itself.

Shigure sighed. "I'll go and get some chairs." She eyed Sojirou. "Unless you want to do it alone?"

"Actually I would. No distractions." He said pointedly looking at the bickering duo behind him, who pretended not to hear what he said.

"Okay then." The captain of the Fallen Blades, soon disappeared out the door, before promptly reappearing with a foldable chair in hand.

"Thank you."

As the meeting began, Yagura could feel the uncomfortable air that Sojirou was giving off. It wasn't that hard to pinpoint what made him feel uncomfortable. "Shigure, why don't you keep an eye on our two other guests? Keep them entertained and make sure that they don't cause any trouble."

Shigure opened her mouth to argue, but Yagura's pleading eye's made her reluctantly slip out the door. "Now that that's over with…" Yagura made eye contact with Sojirou. "Shall we begin?"

"…I swear! That's all I know!" Kimiko wrinkled her nose at the pungent smell. She loosened her grip on the man's collar and he fell to the ground, around 5 stories down. Looking over the edge, Kimiko saw nothing but a paste on the ground. Was it really that much of a fall? She sighed and jumped down to the ground, coating her legs with chakra to make sure she wouldn't end up like him.

A look of disgust spread across her face. Kemuri City really was a shithole. Already, she had killed at least 8 men and at least 2 women who tried to rape her. She also had to kill a gang of thugs who thought that robbing someone who just crushed a man's skull into mush was a good idea.

"Where would a man like you go hiding Suzuki?" Kimiko muttered under her breath, twirling a kunai around her finger. She caught several hungry looks aimed straight at her, but it seemed that rumours were already starting to spread. A white-haired beauty dressed in black who could overpower 5 fully grown men. Truth to be told, they didn't look fully grown. She could see their ribs poking out through their paper thin skin that offered little protection the diseases that probably ran rampant in the city.

It was good thing that she traded in her revealing dress for a more protective outfit. A long, formfitting dark blue jumpsuit that blended in the midnight background. Over the jumpsuit she wore a specially designed jacket that Menma made for her. It was supposed to be able to deflect senbon, she knew that much, but Kimiko would never put that to the test.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she entered the upper class area of the city. She walked into a thin, tall building that rose above the sky. Stepping into the elevators, she noted the time. _1:52_. it was very early in the morning, yet the lobbyist didn't question why she was so late. Suspicious. She slipped into her room and slid her sandals off with another sigh of relief.

Arching her back, she felt her muscles loosen and the sound of back cracking. Music to Kimiko's ears. She felt filthy, and decided to take a shower. Her shower was big. Almost half as big as the one she had back home. The tiles were a powder blue that matched well with the clean white wall tiles and ceiling. She slowly slid off her jumpsuit, which stuck to her skin.

Kimiko ran a hand across breast, feeling the long scar that stretched from one side to the other. It still stung to touch it. Her hand reached into the shower stall and turned the nob up to the max.

The water was boiling hot, her skin turning red. Yet Kimiko relished the feeling. The feeling didn't last though as her mind wandered. _I've managed to narrow down where Suzuki might be…Yet I feel no closer than I did before._ Her gaze turned to the clock above the doorway. _There's still time for me to go and check out the last location on the list and still get some sleep. I guess I should hurry._

Her porcelain skin wasn't as smooth as most of the boys who flirted with her, thought it was. It was peppered with scars and scabs. The longest of which, stretched from underneath her breasts and all the way down to the middle of her right thigh. Kimiko didn't quite remember how she got the scar. It was wide as well, almost as wide as her thumb is long at the widest.

Stepping out of the shower, Kimiko put on a black, skin tight tank top underneath her bolero and slipped on a pair of navy blue pants. She looked out the window and scanned the city. It was just as ugly and disgusting as the last time she had been here.

She made her way to the top of the building instead of going downstairs. Unfortunately, there was no way outside the building. No door and breaking the windows would sound the alarm. Her eyes scanned the slate grey walls and spotted a vent going up outside.

Her hand gripped the cold steel of the vent latch and pulled it to the side, giving her a good look at the stars outside. The building must have been tall enough that it rose above the smog and smoke and light pollution.

With a grunt, Kimiko leaped up into the vent, reaching all the way to the top in one fell swoop. Her head poked out of the vent, checking the top of the building for any possible trap or machine that could somehow detect her. Once she was fully out of the vent, she sat on the inclined roof of the building, observing the rooftops of the city. She stood up, gathered chakra into her feet and propelled herself off the roof.

She nearly missed her target. Her arm reached out and grasped the cold, steel pipe outside the nearest building. Kimiko let out the breath that she was holding. She was now underneath the huge cloud of smog and smoke that covered nearly the entire city. Doing a backflip, Kimiko lands on top of a water tower overlooking a small factory. A look of disdain appeared on her face. _Putting hotels next to a factory eh? Great thinking there._

She slowly opens a skylight and silently slips in, her feet making no noise from the landing. Her head rotates a full 360 degrees, scanning the room, observing, investigating. Her ears perk up as a small faint sound echoes through the not-so-empty factory. Kimiko noticed a tiny sliver of light in the corner of her eye. She crouches behind the rusted iron railing and slowly creeps towards the light.

She looks through a small hole in the wall. A smile forms on her lips. Sitting down in a chair, is a man with long black hair with a stray red strand. He's flipping through a pile of papers. A scowl is present on his lips. On the table across from the man is a katana.

The sound of the door opening grabs Kimiko's attention. Another man steps inside the room. Upon seeing the man, Kimiko's eyes widen and light up. Those long black locks, that arrogant smirk. It was undeniably him.

 _Kirei Uchiha. The Traitor._

 **(Dead End-Mirai Nikk Ending)**

* * *

 **Things are starting to escalate!**


	5. And so it begins

**(Ignite-SAO Season 2 OP1)**

* * *

 _Sleet Storm Inn, Kirigakure no Sato, the Land of Water_

 _5:34 a.m._

* * *

It seemed like it would never stop raining. That was the only sound Kenji could hear. At night when he tried to sleep in their hotel room. During the day when Sojirou worked on negotiations. The sound of water droplets dropping to the ground had been ingrained in his ears. Kenji was a little surprised that the ground hadn't begun to erode yet.

A small sigh escaped from his lips. The constant rain made it hard to see all of Kiri in its probable awe inspiring splendor. That thought brought a chuckle through his lips. Even through the mist and rain, Kenji could tell that the mist was a pile of shit. Full of poverty stricken, rundown neighbourhoods. It was well known throughout the Elemental nations that Kiri had problems with poverty. It was no wonder Shinobi would rather desert and defect than to stay.

However, when Kiri wanted to look good, it did. Their hotel room was a 5 star. By Kiri standards anyways. In Konoha or Kumo it would've been a 3 and half star. The room was big. Big enough for at least 3 people. 4 if they were willing to share a bed. The beds themselves were twin sized beds, with thin fur covers and a thin mattress. Between both beds was a small wooden desk made of Mizore Cedar. Wood, local to the region of Mizore in the Land of Water, near the northeastern coastline and far away from civilization. Every part of the tree sold well, and was Mizore's only important export.

Kenji never understood why his village was so obsessed. Kazuma had told him that Mizore Cedar is 3 to 4 times harder and denser that most of the oak and birch tree's they have in the Land of Fire. Plus the Senju protect the trees of Hashirama's Forest with their lives. Which is why Konoha is the leading importer of the wood. It also supposedly had magical properties, able to heal any injury. But magic was a lost art that Kenji had no interest in.

Most of the room's floor was covered in a white carpet that often left strands of white onto Kenji's pant legs. Beside the beds, to their right, was a door that led into the bathroom. Their bathroom was plain looking. White on white. White tiles, white glass, with a shower head and nob painted white. That was the only thing that really annoyed Kenji.

On the opposite side of the room was another door, this time leading outside to the balcony. Looking over the railing Kenji could understand why every building was so pristine and fancy. It was the front of the city. Meant to look majestic at a distance, and draw people in. But after the 25th street past the gates? Shit. The roads were in disrepair, the buildings were collapsing, and whatever building was being constructed seemed to be using rotted wood. After the 50th street, the houses were nothing more than tents and holes in the ground or burrows dug into the muddy and unstable ground that looked like it would collapse if someone sneezed on it.

And beyond that? Well, Kenji hadn't ventured that fair, and he was certain that he did not wish to either. With a sigh, Kenji walked back into the room, grabbed his jacket off the rack and made his way down to the lobby to get some breakfast. Navigating the long winding and basically endless hallways had been a chore. That was until Misaki had told him of a short cut.

Speaking of the Blade, she was sitting in their normal spot. A seat in the corner next to the windows. Kenji had to admit though, Misaki was a beautiful girl. Long chocolate curls that flowed on either side of her head. She always seemed to have a smile on her face. Kenji thought that she was one of those people. Someone who smiles all the time, but never does it genuinely. Misaki was not one of those people. Her eyes lit up whenever she did smile or laugh.

Sitting down next to her was Kage, who looked shitfaced. His hair tussled up and all over the place. His eyes were dead and tired, as if they weren't like that all the time anyways. In his hand was a coffee mug, which was overflowing. Kenji sat down across from him.

"What's on today's schedule, Saki-san?" The girl in question grinned from ear to ear and set her fork and spoon down. Kenji nearly jumped when Misaki wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, setting his head down on her chest.

"I'm glad you asked foxy!" Kenji rolled his eyes. "Now…the negotiations are about to wrap up, so we have a lot to do today!"

"So that's why you woke me up at 3:25 in the morning?" Kage glared at her from across the table at Misaki who only smiled in response.

"Yep! I only woke you, because frankly you are a very heavy ass sleeper." She said with wild gestures, hands waving everywhere. Both Kage and Kenji sighed at once. In the week that they had been there, the two of them had been run ragged, not by the politics or the greedy, stubborn politicians. Not even by fighting with each other. They were too tired and worn out for that too.

No, the two shinobi, known respectively as the Wild Fox and the Electric Leaf, had been worn out by Misaki Koizumi, the 3rd of Ryujin's Blades. Every day, they visited a new monument, new attraction, or new event. Be it the Fountain of Gengetsu, the Ports of Byakuren the First, or the Overflowing Crypts of the Kaguya.

"Anyways, I've got only got 2 more sites that we absolutely have to visit!" Misaki would have been bouncing in her seat had there not been a table to stop her. "Now, the first place on the list are the remnants of _Deathwater. Deathwater_ was the pride and joy of the Kiri fleet. It is said that the first Mizukage Byakuren had died on it, while fighting in the First Great Ninja War. During the Uprising of the Kaguya, Isobu, that's the 3 Tailed Beast, anyways, Isobu caused a massive wave to rise up from the sea, and washed _Deathwater_ ashore." She explained. "It is however in the heart of Mist Storm district though. Which is all the way in the northwest of the city. It's around a 30 to 45 minute walk."

"Walk?"

"Yes. Because the streets around Mist Storm are…" Misaki turned her head, scratching at it. "Crowded to say the least. That and there buildings around for us to traverse." She seemed a little ashamed of this fact. That bit of shame only lasted for a split second, before her Cheshire cat grin was back on her face. "Moving on…" Her hand flew across the table, her finger pointing onto the map that the restaurant used as place mats. "Our next stop is ancestral home of the Kaguya."

"Normally, we're not allowed to go in there but…" A sly smile appeared in place of the happy grin. "I'm sure that Shigure-chan wouldn't mind us taking a little trip."

* * *

 _Old Kaguya Compound_

 _8:12 a.m._

* * *

She may have been crazy, but Misaki sure was a good host. _Deathwater_ had been an interesting location. It was just as the Blade had said it would be. Right smack dab in the middle of a busy street. What she didn't mention was the fact that at least 5 to 6 families were using the place as a home.

Kenji knew from the fear stricken looks on their faces, that they wanted them to leave, but knew that wouldn't be able to do anything about it. So Kenji and Kage did what most of the Shinobi of Kiri did. They ignored them. Misaki acted like they were the only ones there. She would bump into people and pretend as if nothing even happened.

It was a little off putting, but Kenji payed it no mind. What did catch his interest was the ship. Despite being nearly 8 centuries old, handed down from generation to generation of the Mudou clan, the ship was as large and spacious as some of the more modern trade and transport vessels that Kenji had seen docked at the ports.

The wood used to build the ship was not rotting, much to Kenji's surprise. Until he learned that the wood was Mizore Cedar. Once they reached the quarterdeck, Kenji got a good, solid look at the top of the ship. _Deathwater's_ masts dominated the sky, rising above the roofs of the houses in the district.

Misaki had said that there were said to be ghosts in the ship. The only paranormal experience that had occurred however, was a wooden chest located in the captain's cabin opening and closing.

There wasn't much else to see, so they continued onward to their next stop. Though it would have taken less time if Misaki hadn't stopped every 20 feet to point out another piece of Kiri history that had been lost to the record books.

"Kiri and Kumo, back then during the days of Princess Kaguya, were the two most powerful cities in the continent." Misaki was explaining. "Kiri with its powerful navy, protected their trade lanes from pirates with such efficiency that nearly 500 ships a day came into the ports. Of course that was when the city was known as Nagoya."

"Kumo was the most powerful in the entire continent. It had the most powerful land army, advanced technology, top tier education, great leaders, and a natural defense in the Owari Mountains." She took a breath, and adjusted her scabbard. "But that's not what made Kumo, or Saikyo as it was known, so powerful. The White Library did."

"The White Library?" Kage voiced from his position in the back.

"Yes, there isn't a single person in Kumo who doesn't know about the White Library. For good reason too. It was built around 3000 years ago by Toru Tanaka. During his lifetime Toru collected more than 10 000 books, ancient texts, manuscripts, scrolls, parchments, letters, and documents. Anything that had words written on it. Anything you wanted to know about was in there. Be it how to summon dragons, or something as simple as how to make a sweet roll."

"Legend has it that when Toru died, the entrance into the greater library, which held more texts and knowledge than every library in the world today, combined. During Saikyo's reign, they had access into the Lesser Library, which comparable to the Library of Tobirama." Kage finished off for her. Misaki looked at him with surprise.

"You're right. You know, most people never even knew that there was a Greater Library."

"That's because I am a Tanaka." Kage answered. After that, the rest of the way to the old Kaguya Compound, was made in silence. Much to Misaki's displeasure.

30 minutes of nothing but the sound of the rain later, they came upon what could only be described as a city within a city. The compound walls rose more than 30 meters into the air, and they were 3 meters thick as well. Beyond the gates, the houses of the Kaguya were well preserved, their nearly 1000 year old wood still intact.

As with all other abandoned places, the compound was overgrown with vegetation. Weeds, and vines growing and crawling all over the walls and streets. Grass growing where concrete roads once paved the way into the main city. A huge sycamore was growing where a temple or shrine used to be. Which was weird, considering that sycamore's were not native to the Land of Water and could mostly only be found in Konoha and Kusagakure.

The main attraction however was very clearly the giant ornate palace in the center of the compound. Or what seemed to be a palace. The giant statue of Byakko the White Tiger of the west stood guard at the entrance, its giant maw big enough to swallow a real tiger whole.

Kenji figured that the reason the palace or whatever it was, was built on the top of a sloping hill, was to slow down the approach of invaders. The base of the building was made of numerous rocks and pebbles, there were numerous wooden beams that flew in a multitude of directions, supporting multiple loads and providing protection from some form of attack. But Kenji could see that the castle was outdated. If an invasion were to take place now, the castle would've only lasted for maybe a week or so depending on how tough the defenders were. The numerous narrow hallways and passageways and catwalks were just chokepoints waiting to happen.

Walking absently mindedly, Kenji split off from Misaki and Kage, wandering off into a different room. Standing in the middle of the room was a giant ivory statue of Byakko the White Tiger. Standing at the base of the statue, kneeling was a women with waist length white hair.

His eye's widening to the size of Byakko's jaw, Kenji began to step back slowly, making sure not to make any noise. Though to no avail, as the woman would turn around anyways, her piercing lavender eyes boring a hole into Kenji's chest.

"You dare trespass sacred ground?" A menacing growl emanated from her chest.

"Listen, Shigure-san…I didn't mean to disturb you or anything…" Kenji barely had anytime to dodge the white blur that Shigure had fired from her fingertip. Shigure roared and charged at him, a sharp bone protruding from her palm. _Dammit. This may have ruined any chance we had at securing an alliance!_

Kenji palmed the wall behind him for balance and flipped over Shigure and began running down the hallway.

"Get back here trespasser!" An explosion nearly blew him off his feet, but the chakra he diverted to his feet helped him keep steady.

Another explosion rocked the hallway as he changed directions, moving to the right. A few feet away, the wall to his right collapsed as Shigure flew through it. Her hair waving in the non-existent wind, her bone sword gripped tightly her hand.

Instead of trying to leap over her, or slide and actually get stabbed, Kenji clenched his fist, tightened his jaw and threw a haymaker at Shigure who strafed to the right. Kenji's fist blew right through one of the many castle pillars, and he dove right through where it had been, rolling onto the ground and launching into a sprint.

A snarl reached his ears, but Kenji did not dare turn his head. Feeling the ground vibrate, Kenji jumped, planted his foot against a nearby pillar and flipped into the air, barely avoiding the giant white spike that cleaved the concrete pillar in half.

Running out to see the commotion, Kage nearly got his head taken. Misaki however stepped into the bone blade, her Katana deflecting the bone blade. Her captain snarled.

"Of course it was you." Shigure spat, her teeth grinding, as another set of bone blades flew through her palm.

"Listen, this is all a big misunderstanding." Misaki smiled nervously, her grip on her katana so tight that her knuckles had turned white. "Look, they were gonna leave as soon as we finished touring…"

"I don't care! They trespassed onto Kaguya property and sacred ground." Shigure let out one final growl, crouching, with her bone swords crossed. Kenji's locked eyes with Kage, nodding. The other boy nodded back, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing a short dagger strapped to a hidden scabbard in his wrist. "Now stand down, or I'll kill you to."

To their surprise, instead of insisting that Shigure back off and stop fighting, Misaki sighed, and sheathed her katana. She looked back at Kage and Kenji with an apologetic look. "Sorry. You're on your own." She barely had anytime to step back either as Shigure rushed past her, blood in her eyes.

Kage ripped the dagger out of its scabbard and parried Shigure just in time to save his own skin. Kenji rushed in and forced Shigure to back off. She growled and flung one of her bone swords like a javelin towards Kage. The bone flew through the air like an arrow and easily penetrated the pillar that Kage had thrown down into the way of the projectile.

Leaping over the pillar Shigure thrust her remaining sword at Kage. The blade ripped through the air, Kage jumping back, avoiding the hit. At the same time, Kenji flew in and threw a right hook at Shigure who twirled around and jabbed at him.

Kage propelled himself off of a wall and coated his dagger with chakra. Another bone sword protruded through Shigure's arm as she blocked Kage with one hand and punched Kenji through a wall and out of the castle with the other.

Kenji slammed his hand down onto the grass-ridden sidewalk. Looking up he saw Shigure leap from the castle down towards where he was. With a grunt, the Namikaze jumped backwards, a spray of debris appearing where he once was.

When his back foot hit a wall, Kenji pushed off of it and threw a chakra enhanced haymaker at Shigure. Instead of knocking her back like he expected, Kenji was sent flying through a series of houses, before landing flat on his back.

A groan slipped past his lips. Looking towards his right, Kenji spotted a figure standing atop the wall. It was Misaki. Kenji's eyes snapped towards an exploding wall. He sidestepped the oncoming barrage of bones that may as well have been missiles. _Where's Kage?_

He grit his teeth, ducked low, avoiding another blinding combo from Shigure. Pumping chakra into his fist, Kenji slammed it into the ground, causing the smooth marble to uplift and throw Shigure into the air.

A shine in the middle of the grey sky caught his attention. He squinted his eyes and managed to make out a dagger. Unfortunately, Shigure saw it coming and deflected it back to Kage who flipped in mid-air to avoid getting run through with his own dagger.

Deciding that it was time to start going on the offensive, Kenji loaded his fists with chakra and met Shigure in the air, where his fists met her blades. The air reverberated with the shockwaves that their blows made.

Kage soon entered the fray, ducking under a stray swing that blew through a wall. The two Konoha ninja, were nothing but blurs, punching, kicking and just striking in general. But it seemed that Shigure was slowly getting the better of them.

She twisted her head around, dodging a right handed jab from Kenji, and struck him with a kick to the stomach. Spinning around she threw an elbow at Kage, who ducked and tried to strike at her side. For the umpteenth time that fight, his dagger bounced off her steel like skin.

The two males, fell back, their backs against a wall. Both literally and metaphorically. "We can't beat her. Not in a closed environment here." Kenji, despite all of the fighting, was breathing steadily and calmly. "We also can't force her out of the compound and into the streets. Not without risking the deaths of more than a few civilians. So in every sense of the word, we're screwed."

"Unless Sojirou comes and has to save our sorry asses."

"If he's even alive. This entire thing may have been a plot the whole time. But I'll try to think positive and say that Sojirou lived and is coming to help us." Truth to be told, Kenji didn't know what to do. Shigure was one of the best swordswomen in the continent. She was a member of the **Warlords** , a group made up of the most powerful from each of the villages. As was Arashi. Even Sojirou were to come in and interfere, he would most likely end up dead. They were comepletely outclassed without back up.

Kenji's eyes began darting all over the place, trying to search for a possible escape route. Scaling the walls would take too long, and if Shigure was as fast as he thought she was…then they'd be dead before they even made it halfway up the wall. However, a light bulb went off in his mind.

Shigure narrowed her eyes, mouth no longer in a snarl. She held her hand near her neck and shoulder, grabbing the protruding bone. Making sure to pull it out slowly, she opened her mouth. "You were dead from the start. Trying to fight me was a mistake. One that you'll regret forever."

Kenji laughed. "We'll see about that." His hand quickly slipped into his pocket and flung two kunai with smoke balls attached at the ends. Shigure cut them down with no hesitation, smoke filling the entire empty street. Shigure leaped over the walls and brought up her wrist. Lining it up with Kenji's leg she fired a small yet deadly shard of bone. However Kenji made no signs of showing that he had been hit before disappearing from her view.

A sharp pain shot through his leg as a bone projectile ripped through his kneecap. Kenji bit his lip and used his hand to balance himself against the walls of the crowded streets. To his right Kage pulled out a white shard that had embedded itself into his palm.

"We have to find Yagura. He's the only one who can calm her down." Kenji stated, pulling out a roll of medical tape from his pouch. He scanned the crowd for Shigure's distinctive white tresses that stuck out more than their own red hair. He breathed a sigh of relief when all he could see was black, brown and the occasional blue hair that was so prevalent in Kiri.

"We have to stay on the ground. If we go on the rooftops she'll spot us for sure." Kage grabbed the medical tape from his fellow redhead and wrapped it around his bloody hand. At the moment of contact, the tape became red and wet with blood.

"Even if we could go up top, there aren't any rooftops this side of the city anyways." Looking around, Kenji could spot at least 3 buildings that classified as having a roof. Basically nonexistent in a crowded city like Kiri.

The two teammates slowly slinked around the alleyways and back roads of Kiri, blending in with the crowd, running through buildings and climbing them if necessary. Soon the giant cylindrical structure of the Mizukage's office filled up the skyline. Ryujin's Palace it was called.

Kenji dropped down onto the front of office, with Kage slightly behind him. A whizzing sound reached his ears. Eye's widening, Kenji turned his head and plucked the bone blade out of the air with his chakra loaded hand.

Standing a few meters away, was Shigure a smirk on her face. Her skin shifted, as another bone pushed its way through, out of her palm. Without warning she charged forward. With only a split second to react Kenji jumped back.

"Ow! Kenji what…" Sojirou began, before the explosion drowned his voice out. "…on…."

Yagura rushed out, his battle attire on. "What's going on? Who's the enemy?" When he saw Shigure, standing there, ready to launch another barrage of bones. She looked stunned and a little embarrassed. "Shigure? What are you doing? Who are you fighting?"

Kenji looked at him, a victorious smirk on his face. "No one. Just a big misunderstanding."

* * *

 _Outside of Konoha_

 _3:02 a.m._

* * *

Sighing loudly, Kirei Uchiha took a look at Hisami who stood there in front of him. All and fidgety and stuff. Looking over his report, Kirei was a little disappointed. Not exactly at Hisami, but rather at the higher ups. Specifically Satoshi, Grumbling, Kirei gave the commander back his report.

"You're dismissed." With a stiff salute, Hisami disappeared from his view. Standing up, Kirei went outside the encampment and made his way towards one of the nearby hills. It was night, but the campfires lit up the view like it was day. As far as the eye could see, campfires, tents, rebels and bandits mingling alike, laughter ringing out. But it seemed odd. Hisami had never needed an army to help him before. Why now?

The night air was cold, a chill bit at his skin. Kirei paid it no mind, striding forward into the darkness over the hill. Far off in the distance he could see the lights of Konoha. An idea struck him.

Quickening his pace, Kirei, estimated that it would take him 10 minutes to arrive in Konoha. Stopping outside of the walls, he saw the guards. He snapped his fingers, and before they even caught wind that he was there, they were under his spell.

It was he remembered it. The bright lights, exotic smells, and thousands of people that roamed the streets late at night. Konoha, was the village that never sleeps. Looking up, and seeing Hokage Mountain, Kirei noted that Minato was still the Hokage. Despite the number of fiasco's that went on under his rule. But Kirei had to give it up to the blonde. He already had the second longest tenure out of all of the kage. After that dead bastard Onoki anyways.

He sat down inside Ichiraku Ramen. There was no wonder why the place was not only still running, but flourishing. It was the restaurant of the Namikaze. They always went there. Be it for lunch, dinner, after a mission, you name it. Kirei was careful not to make eye contact with anyone. He wasn't afraid to be recognized, in fact he would've welcomed it. His superiors on the other hand. Not so much.

Over in the V.I.P area, or rather the Namikaze and friends seats, Kirei spotted several faces that were very familiar. He could recognize Himiko's long bright blonde locks anywhere. Kenji was hard to distinguish from the other redheaded teen that sat next to him, but that was obviously Kenji. Sitting across from them, were another pair of Redheads and blondes. Arashi sat next to Akane, who was too engrossed in her book to pay attention to the conversation or eat. Beside her, and talking very animatedly, was Tsugumi. Kirei was about to leave and head back to camp when something he heard caught his attention.

"…Just returned from a mission and I'm already on another one. This time in an even worse city." Kenji complained. Kage smirked.

"At least Himiko will be there to comfort you."

"W-what did you say, bastard!?" Kenji rose from his seat, raising his fist. Yet Kage stayed seated, his smirk growing.

"Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. At. All."

Arashi spoke up next, setting his glass of grape juice down onto the table. "Look, this mission shouldn't take very long. Meet up with Kimiko, find out if she found Suzuki Hirano and get back home, shouldn't take really take more than 3 days at the max."

Standing up, Kirei payed for his meal, and began to make his way back to camp. A smirk on his face the whole time. Returning to his tent, he packed up his stuff, and left a letter on top of his desk. Outside, he attached a note to his tent before disappearing into the darkness.

* * *

 _Kemuri City_

 _7:2- a.m._

* * *

Oh how Suzuki wanted to punch those grinning teeth. But, unless he wanted to die, he could settle for doing that in his dreams. And only his dreams. Then again, the Black Market dealer wouldn't have been surprised if Kirei could read minds. The man himself sat across with a wide grin on his face. After a minute of uncomfortable eye contact, Suzuki decided that it was time to open his mouth.

"Why are you here?"

"To talk."

"Is this about that so called "immortal" priest that you made join the army? Despite the fact that he worshipped a comepletely different god. Jashin I think." To be honest, Suzuki didn't know whether or not having an immortal being in their forces was a good idea. Then again, when Kirei Uchiha was around, nothing was immortal.

"No." Kirei folded his hands together in his lap. "While I was in Konoha, doing some preliminary scouting…I overheard that the Namikaze brats are after you."

"So? I've known that for nearly three years now. All the way back when Natsumi Namikaze sent one of her spies to my hideout. Well, my first real hideout."

"A shitty one too."

"Shut up. Anyways. Your point?" A malicious and cruel grin made its way onto Kirei's face.

"Now listen…"

* * *

 _Outskirts of Konoha_

 _3:32 p.m._

* * *

Hisami raised his hand to above his eyes, shielding them from the bright sun. The city of Konoha, lay sprawling over a dozen hills, a giant mountain, and a great waterfall. The waterfall, Hisami knew, was a comepletely new addition. He had to admit though, it probably wasn't there only for aesthetics alone.

Even from his perch high up in the trees nearly 500 meters away, Hisami could hear the noise that was Konoha. It may not have the largest population, the biggest area, or the highest population density. But it was loud. The sounds of food being cooked. Vendors fighting for customers. Jonin yelling at their students. Trade carts being wheeled in and out.

Deciding to take a closer look, Hisami leaped down from his viewpoint and blended in to the crowd. All around him, were travellers. Rural farmers with their livestock, gamblers from Tanzaku Gai, and fishermen with their boats that would prove to be useless in a land locked city. All running from the man known throughout the lands as the Beast Tamer.

He walked up confidently to the guards. Without even sparing him so much a glance, flashed his I.D and slipped past into the city. It was laughable how easy it was to get into Konoha. Their guards were well trained and disciplined, but from the looks in their eyes, they were tired and irritated. No doubt from the all the sleepless and restless hours of arguing with travellers that didn't have an I.D. All of the gates must have been at full capacity, due to the lack of guards in the streets.

Looking up and pumping chakra to his eyes, Hisami could see the faint outline of Konoha's vastly inferior and outdated Chakra barrier. But, the large construction project where the Barrier Squad building had once been, indicated that they were indeed looking to replace the barrier. And if the reports of Menma Namikaze building what could only be described as satellites, were anything to come by…

Hisami stopped inside a restaurant. His blood red eyes, which might as well have been black, scanned the restaurant regulars. Finally, his gaze settled on a fairly tall redhead who wore all black clothing. If Kirei's note was anything to go by, then this one was not Kenji Namikaze, but rather Kage Tanaka.

Walking past Kage's table, Hisami lightly bumped his hip into the redhead's shoulder. Kage payed it no mind however and concentrated on his meal. A waitress made her through the drunk patrons and took his Hisami's order. Throughout the course of his meal, his eyes never left Kage.

Of course, Kage noticed. Dropping his chopsticks into his bowl, Kage stood up, paid for his meal before stopping in front of Hisami who continued on as if nothing happened.

"What do you want?" Kage asked roughly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion, Hisami raised a hand.

"Let me finish my meal first." And so Kage did, returning to his seat, eyes glued to Hisami's every movement. When Hisami finished, he simply left a couple of coins next to his bowl. Throughout the entire exchange their eyes never left each other's gaze.

He had no clue why Kage decided to follow him without knowing who he was, or what he was up against. But those were things that didn't matter. Hisami led Kage around the district before stopping in an empty clearing.

"I'm expecting an answer, Hisami." Kage said in a low voice, a dagger in his hand. Across from him, Hisami smiled slyly. He closed his fist and began to gather chakra into his palm. "Why are you here?"

"Oh you know why…You knew from the very beginning, yet you didn't mention a single word to your superiors. Even your beloved sister Akane was left in the dark." It was a guess on Hisami's part, but Kage's tight jaw and clenched fist told him everything.

"You need to leave. Especially if you want to live."

"Who's going to make me? You? Arashi?" Hisami knew that facing Arashi in a straight on fight would be the biggest mistake of his life. "Like I'm that stupid to fight him. No. If he wants to fight me…then let him. We'll fight while the village collapses to nothingness around him." Hisami smirked, and opened his palm. A black character was imprinted onto his palm, a dark aura emanating from it. "And you're going to help do it."

"Like he-'" Kage clutched his chest, falling onto his knees. A strained look appeared on his face. He then bit his lip in a bid to hold back his screams. Hisami walked forward a sadistic smirk on his face. "W-what…what d-did…you d-do!?"

"It was an agreement I made with your brother a long time ago. It's time he keeps up his end of the bargain." Kage could no longer keep his screams to himself, as a dark aura began to cloud his presence. Hisami turned around, stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to make his way back to camp.

"What are you doing!?" Without even bothering to look back, Hisami yelled.

"Leaving you here to struggle against your unavoidable part in Konoha's destruction."

* * *

 **(Magnet- Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka)**

* * *

 **It's almost halfway through the first arc! Yay! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. As in a week or so. Not making any promises though.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**


	6. Time to see the world burn

**(Hikaru Nara-Shigatsu Wa Kimi no Uso OP1)**

* * *

 _Kemuri City_

 _12:09 p.m._

* * *

Himiko squinted against the harsh glare of the sun. Somehow, the sun's rays pierced through the thick and puffy clouds of smog and mist. Looking back down, she checked the time. To her right, Kenji shifted and turned to look at the fountain that the park had.

"She's late." Kenji grumbled under his breath. Her twin was nervous. And not for the reasons that most thought. He didn't like it in Kemuri. It was a crowded, smelly, and just awful place. Even the so called good parts of the city. Kemuri wasn't called the Crime Capital for no reason.

It had a murder rate of 75 people out of a thousand. Every single day. Yet it seemed like there was an endless amount of legal and illegal citizens in the city. Its population of nearly 5 million people made that possible. And with only half a percent of those people having a high quality of living…

The park they were in was one of the only places that was truly tranquil and clean. There was no trash that littered the streets. No dead bodies floating down the river. No homeless people staring at you like a meal. No nosy Green's giving a "random" search.

At the center of the park was a giant marble fountain. Sprouting up from the top tier, were jets of water that sparkled a bright green and orange. Himiko thought it odd. But made no comment.

They were supposed to be meeting their sister Kimiko here. But she was late. Normally that probably didn't mean anything…but in the City of Filth? It could have meant a lot of things. None of them good. So she shared Kenji's nervousness. Albeit for different reasons. Himiko had no doubt that Kimi could and would survive. But she couldn't shake the feeling…

"Sorry I'm late." Turning her head around, Himiko spotted the devil herself walking towards them, her mouth pressed into a thin line. Stopping short of the twins, Kimi pulled out a small wooden box, with the characters for _death_ carved onto the bottom. "I don't have much time to explain. So follow me." She then turned her head over her shoulder, looking for someone. Who, Himiko didn't know.

Kimi's apartment was only a 5 minute walk away from the park. Yet she was 5 minutes late. Why? Himiko decided not to put any more thought into the matter. She just really wanted to return to the village. Not that she was homesick. No. If the reports of entire towns and villages being abandoned was anything to go by, then that meant that the Beast Tamer was becoming closer and closer to Konoha.

The apartment was small yet spacious. Facing the window, was a small brown couch that could seat at least three people. Parallel to it, was an identical couch. In between the two was a coffee table with a vase of tulips.

Sitting down, Himiko made sure to be ready to bolt in case something should happen. Kenji sat down across from her, his long arms and legs sprawled out on the couch. Kimi put the box down and opened the lid. Inside of the lid was a metal cylindrical device. Despite seeming so ordinary, the two twins knew that it was something important.

"I don't have time to answer your questions. So I will do my best to explain this all." Kimi lifted the device out. It was half a foot in length and 10 inches in circumference. "This is an Akuma Catalyst. It was a device built and designed by Menma's mentor Ryuunosuke Sarutobi during the Third Great Ninja war. They were designed to harness the chakra of a battlefield and convert it to Demonic Chakra. Which is completely different from normal chakra. And even Black chakra. No. Demonic Chakra can only be produced by demons. Or so we thought. I don't know how this works, and I'm not going to even bother. But know this. You cannot let this fall into the hands of anyone other than Arashi and Menma. Only they'll know what to do with it."

Kenji frowned. "Isn't Demonic Chakra supposed to be one of the components needed to summon a demon?"

"I told you no questions!" Kimiko hissed. The twins smirked, knowing she would answer anyways. "But to answer your question…yes. They were never used during the war and even if they were, the consequences would have been more than just the destruction of a village. More like a real demon in the world. Not the Tailed Beasts. Real demons."

"Now. I want, no I need you to take this back home. If anyone asks what it is, don't tell them anything. Don't even respond." Looking over her shoulder, Kimiko developed an annoyed look. She sighed. "I took too long. You guys need to go back now."

"Why? We just got here." Kenji said, eyebrows upturned quizzically, and arms out to the side. He yelped in pain when Kimi smacked him upside the head. "What was that for!?"

"For being an ass. This is not a joke. But there's also the second thing I came here to warn you about. So stay put. But I fear that it's too late." With another sigh, Kimi dug through her messenger bag and pulled out a map. She moved the vase aside and unfurled the map. Himiko noted that it was a very detailed map of Konoha. It was the one that was normally given to most Jonin and Anbu. And only them, for the map contained several secret locations that were an S-rank secret.

"A couple of days ago, I went and visited one of Menma's contacts in the city. A former rebel who "defected" to Rika Akabane. He told me that Kagami was unusually nervous and jittery for an extended period of time. It was around a week and a half ago that he saw the rebel army leaving. And by army, I mean the entire rebel force."

"I didn't get much more than that. But I did manage to wiggle out where the army was headed." She reached across the table and dragged her fingers across the giant bold letters that read: **KONOHA**. "So I followed their rearguard. Stopped just outside the border." Their sister smirked. "Their security was absolute trash though. Their command tent was left wide open, no guards. So I went in and did a little snooping around. Found this map."

"As you can see, the north, west and main gate are going to be the main attack points. Most of their forces are outside in the Old Senju lands. Far away from any visible line of site to the wall. I don't know what the Rebels of Smoke are thinking attacking their biggest supporter, but I have a feeling that it isn't what we think it is." Kimi pulled out a set of maps. "I found these in there as well. They might have something important that we could find out. So I need you guys to return as quickly as possible. If you aren't already too late."

* * *

 _Kemuri Palace_

 _12:30 p.m._

* * *

Her throne was cold. Then again, it was always cold, that ruby throne of hers. A sigh escaped from Rika's lips. Court politics were boring her. Yes, she knew that their economy was shit, yes she knew that their crime rate was astronomical. Yes, she knew that the people hated her. But she didn't care. Not .A. Single. Bit.

"…Milady? Are you listening?"

"No." Rika, her ice cold gaze freezing the man at the spot. He didn't dare turn his head from her. Rika titled her head and sighed loudly. The floor underneath the man began to glow an ice blue. A loud snap echoed in the courtroom as the councillor turned to ice. Another snap, and the figure shattered. "I will not have you wasting my time. Hayama! Clean his remains. You are all dismissed." With a wave of her hand, all of Rika's court stood up from their seats and made for the exits.

"That's the 25th treasurer that you've killed in past month alone milady." Hayama remarked, the shards of ice turning into dust in his hands. Rika could feel his disapproving gaze on her. Sigh. Standing up, Rika stretched her arms and legs out.

"Hayama. Gather up the others. There's something we need to discuss."

The female dictator made her way to her giant and lavish room. It was half the size of the courtroom, which itself was 50 meters long and 25 meters wide. The walls were lined with gold and silver, decorated with crystals and other ornate and rare minerals. Thick velvet sheets were sprawled out on her bed. They were thrown around haphazardly over the intricately carved bedframe which was made from Mizore Cedar. Rika ran a hand along the carving.

Most of her room was empty space. Useless space. She didn't know what to put there aside from useless niceties that would only serve to clutter up the room and give her a headache. A depression appeared on the mattress when she lay down. Carved upon the wooden top of her bed frame was of her favourite story as a child. The story of her namesake. Rika the Unbending.

She lived more than 4000 years ago in the height of their family's once great empire. An empire which was said to have stretched from the islands of Uzushio to the east, and the towering mountains of Kumo to the north. Rika the Unbending, despite the numerous troubles and hardships the empire went through under her rule, refused to bend the knee to any that tried to conquer the Akabane Empire.

Of course that was 4000 years ago. When magic dominated the world and the Shinju was left to go free, and was treated as a god. Now magic was an art considered demonic by many. Those that did choose to study it however, often failed, becoming corrupted and torn apart by forces that the human body was no longer used to. But not an Akabane. It was in their blood. Rika lifted her hand, electricity sparking around it.

Allowing herself a moment of unbridled emotion, she smashed her fist into the bedframe. Contempt and anger at her ancestors coursed through her body. Instead of leaving her the most powerful empire in the world, they had left her a festering city, which could collapse at any moment. The Grand Treasury of the Akabane Family was the only thing that kept everything from crashing down around her.

Rika's ears perked up at the sound of someone knocking at the door. She stood up and fixed her bed with a wave of her hand. Magic was useful yes. But not as diverse and didn't have as much variety as the Shinobi arts. "Come in." As instantly as the words came out of her mouth the door swung open slowly.

"All of the Genesis Guards are in the meeting room milady." Rika nodded. Her boots squeaked along the white tiled floors of the seemingly never ending hallway. Lining the walls of said hallways, were paintings of her ancestors. She didn't even sparing a single glance at any of them.

Sitting down in their respective seats were the 10 members of her Genesis Guards. A small, a very small smile formed on Rika's lips. They were her family. Not the 50 cousins and 30 half siblings of hers. To them, she was their ticket to power. Her guards would never betray her. For she had saved them from her father's tyranny.

Only to force them to watch as she created her own brand of tyranny. She heard the rumours. The names. _Heartless Witch. Living Demon. Sorceress._ The Genesis Guards didn't care. She hadn't kept count of how many times they had to tell her that she was doing a good job. Again, words held no meaning. Only results had any value. And if a ruined economy, a corrupted council and a crime filled city were signs that she was doing a good job, then Rika didn't want to know what doing a bad job would look like.

Hayato sat with his head down on the mahogany table muttering to himself how he would kill "the brats" the next time he saw them. Their vector manipulator hadn't been hurt too badly by his encounter with the Copycat. His pride though was a mess.

To his right, sitting quietly with his arms crossed, his snow white hair covering his eyes, was Kei Arima. His eyes, she could tell were closed, as they were most of the time. Arima's katana, Yatsufuusa lay with its hilt against the table. Kei was always someone that kept a cool head, no matter the situation. That was something Rika absolutely admired in people.

Across from him, with her feet on the empty beside her, was Shirome, her pale skin glistening, despite their being no sunlight to reflect rays onto. Long auburn hair lay about as she made no effort to move despite Hayama's attempts. Shirome had been by Rika's side since they were kids. But unlike Rika, Shirome's father, one of her councilmen, was cruel and greedy man who cared not for his own kin, but his only his own skin. Shiro was the only person that Rika could really confide in, and not worry about it being spread throughout the entire city. Sitting to Shiro's right was Takeru, his blue hair swept off to the side, tinkering with another one of his machines.

Talking loudly beside him was Shiro's younger sister, Gumi. Bright green eyes always had an innocent light in them, despite all of the things that she's seen. Gumi waved her arms around as she talked very animatedly with Akagi who sat across from her.

Akagi was a red haired teenager, who always seemed to be hungry. There was never a moment when he wasn't seen eating. On a plate, or more like a couple of plates, were chicken wings. He had an obsession with chicken wings. Beside him was Shin who had his nose dug in a book. As always. Honing his mind. Sprawled out on the table, was Rumi, her golden hair flowing behind her. She looked up to see Rika staring at her.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry!" She stood up and bowed repeatedly before being pulled down to her seat by Yukio who glowered at her. Frowning, Rika scanned the room for a set of black hair. The only set of black hair in the group.

"Where is Kazuto?"

"Who knows?" Hayama shrugged. "The demon always does his own thing. You know that milady. You don't need to worry about."

Rika narrowed her eyes. "Quite an inference you've made. But no matter." She swept her gaze across the room. "You all know why I've called you here."

"Do we?" Rika shot Akagi a glare, shutting him up immediately, as he shoveled another chicken wing into his mouth.

"Finish your meal quickly. I don't have time for this nonsense." Venom was leaking from her mouth. She sighed and composed herself. "Now where was I? Right. I'm not going to sugar coat it. Over the next year or so…the world is going to go shit. War. Death. Our bankrupt economy."

"But it only gets worse. You've all had experiences with the Cult. You all know what their goal is. This war is a cover. We cannot allow what they want…to happen. They cannot allowed…to bring upon the apocalypse."

"Now. I chose all of you for a reason. For your loyalty to me. For your talents in killing, strategizing, negotiating. All things that we must do if we want the world to continue as it goes. War ridden. Which is better than destroyed."

"Today…" Rika balled her hands up. "We will commence _Protocol 4_."

* * *

 _Kemuri City_

 _6:46 p.m._

* * *

Kimiko stuck to the walls, its shadows camouflaging her. She tucked her blonde hair into her Anbu helmet. Specially designed for her. Menma had designed the first Combat Helmets nearly 3 years ago. He gave her an improved version of it when he came to visit. Kimi ran a hand along the sleek titanium plating, finger running along where the two plates met. Her vision was tinted a translucent orange.

Rika Akabane was alone. Just taking a stroll in the garden of her palace. A few hours earlier all but Hayama, of her Genesis Guard had left the city. Kimi would have done something but she didn't have enough time. She had to do this. Her target continued walking slowly, taking in the smell of the garden.

Kimiko froze in place as Rika looked directly at her. But it was only for a split second. Crawling alongside the low walls of the garden, Kimiko got as close as she could to Rika. If the rumours of her power were to be believed, then Kimi had to be really, really careful. She could not be spotted. Though, if the stories were to be believed, then Rika already knew she was there and was simply playing the waiting game.

Dashing across to the other side of the walkway, Kimi felt the heat of a golden beam flying by head. Kimiko swore. She was spotted.

"There's no use in hiding. If you wish to continue playing this game of cat and mouse then so be it." Her voice was empty and cold. There was nothing about her voice that sounded like she was taunting Kimi. She stated it like it was fact, which Kimiko knew to be true. But Kimi wasn't going to give in so easily.

Reaching into her pouch, Kimi grasped a pair of shuriken. In one singular motion, Kimiko flung one shuriken into the air. Then she twisted around and ran through the hallway. Then she flung the second shuriken through a pair of pillars. Her two projectiles met in the air. The second one deflected the first right at Rika's eyes.

The tyrant however simply stood there, an invisible force blowing the shuriken out of thin air. Rika turned her head, and raised her hand. Kimiko sprinted out into the open field as the pillar she hid behind blew up. Looking back, Kimiko noticed that Rika's palms were covered in glowing blue characters.

 _Magic? Tch. Great. My chakra sensing is useless here_. Kimi jumped. Narrowly avoiding the depression in the ground. She slammed her foot into the garden wall and flipped off it in time to avoid getting her feet stuck frozen to the wall.

Kimiko landed with her hands braced against a wall. Rika lowered her arms and gave Kimi a leveled gaze. Then with a simple snap of the fingers, multiple chains of energy appeared from portals that appeared in the ground, in the air, in the flowers.

 _Great._ Kimiko flew around the garden dodging the chains as best as she could. Contorting her body around and corkscrewing, Kimi reached out with her kunai and swiped at Rika. Her target stood there and looked at her, iris' glowing blue. An invisible force blew Kimiko back and imbedded her into one of the pillars.

Kimiko pushed off of the pillar, barely avoiding a chain wrapping around the pillar and slicing it into multiple pieces. The Namikaze spun around another chain, and lunged at Rika. Once again, _something_ , blew her away into the second story of the building.

"…Damnit." She coughed, pulling out a shard of wood that penetrated her shoulder. The chains flew through the hole and went straight towards her. Kimi sprinted off to the right, flipped off of another wall avoiding a chain that imbedded itself into the hallway.

Reaching her hand out, Kimi ripped one of the chains out of thin air and swung around and out of the palace. She landed in front of Rika, who lunged towards her, hands glowing with an orange seal. Kimiko stepped back and tripped, a chain coming from the ground and wrapping around her ankle.

Rika stood over the downed Kimiko who lay, with no resistance. "I have no time to deal with you anymore. So I'll let you go. But know this: I won't be so nice next time."

Stepping back, the tyrant raised her glowing right hand, the chain lifting Kimi up by the leg. "You are to leave the city immediately." The chain loosened and let the blonde drop to the ground.

Kimiko stood there, apprehensive of the situation. What was she to do, when the person she tried to assassinate, shrugged it off like it was something that happened every day? Granted, assassins probably came every day. Kimi stood to her full height. There was an ulterior motive here, Kimiko knew it. But she was outclassed in every way by Rika. She simply wasn't built to fight close quarters. But…she doubted even Kenji would have been able to last longer.

So she did just that. Kimiko just hoped that there would be a village for her to return to.

* * *

 _Edo, the Land of Fire_

 _4:01 p.m._

* * *

Saori was not made for heels, she knew that much. She sighed and took another sip of her sparkling water. Her dress was backless and reached up to mid-calf. Saori thought that it showed off too much skin, but Ren thought otherwise. Speaking of the idol, he looked as bored as she was. He sat across from her, playing with his bow tie.

 _Come with me to Lin's concert he says. It'll be fun he says. I'd rather be doing some research with Menma._ The Namikaze smiled bitterly. Lin hadn't even come out yet. It was still the opening act.

Ren and Lin, were her only real friends in Edo. But being idols made them very busy. They tried their best to make time for Saori, but she just told them to focus on their career. The twins were not really twins. They were related, but Lin is a year older. It was Saori's idea to make them twins, and it just stuck. Honestly it was kind of hard to tell the two apart. Both had short black hair, just short of the shoulders. Ren had his in a small ponytail and Lin held hers in place with clips and a big black bow on top.

Sighing again, Saori refilled her glass and rested her head on her free hand. You didn't even have to look around to know that the arena was full. Nor did Saori want to look. She leaned back in her seat in their box seat, just to the right of the stage. Beside the curtain and away from the audiences view was Lin. She looked beautiful. Saori reached up and took the spokes out of her bun and let her hair down.

"I was waiting for you to do that. Buns don't fit you." Ren smiled and slipped his blazer off. "Best get comfortable. The show's about to really start." Lin strutted to the center of the stage, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She smiled, teeth flashing in the light. The crowd, if it was possible, became even louder. Lin took in a deep breath and opened her mouth.

" _Whenever we saw each other all we did was fight…_

 _But those were also wonderful memories…"_

A bitter smile made its way onto Saori's face. This was the song that she helped write.

" _You taught me so much; I'm not scared anymore…_

 _No matter how difficult I can grab hold of happiness, so…"_

Menma was the only person who could really understand her. Arashi was too cold and serious. Kimiko and Kazuma too distant. Kenji and Himiko were always off doing their own thing. Tsugumi and Natsumi were her favourite sisters. But they coddled her too much. Naruto and Naruko never had time to do things with her, always spending time with the Uchiha twins.

" _I'll go by myself, even if it looks painful…_

 _I'll always carry on the dream I had with you…_

 _Being with you was so wonderful; there was no one else…_

 _But when I woke up in the morning, you weren't there."_

When she heard that Menma was to leave Konoha to pursue his interest in technology and inventing, Saori was devastated. So she begged her father. Her mother. Ryuunosuke even. They all told her no…But Menma understood. He brought her along anyways. Despite all of the increased responsibilities that he would have.

" _I felt that we could play forever…_

 _But I know that's just what I believed…_

 _I don't regret being born any longer…_

 _Like the feeling after a festival, it's sad but let's move on little by little."_

Saori thought that by going with Menma to Edo, everything would like it used to be. They would have fun, play together. But…She only saw him once every week in her first 2 years in Edo. She missed the friends she had Konoha, but felt that this was what she needed to do. It was then that she met Ren and Lin. Saori became their manager and turned them from indie artists, into the top idols in the country.

" _I'll go anywhere, you know that…_

 _I'll show you that I can grant your dream of happiness…_

 _Even if I'm separated from you, no matter how far…_

 _I'll be born with the new morning."_

Saori would go to the ends of the earth for Menma. She would venture down to the underworld and do what Izanagi wouldn't. Or she thought. She hated it in Edo. But Menma was happy. Whenever she saw him during those first few years he was always smiling and laughing.

" _I'll go by myself, even if I want to die…_

 _I can hear your voice; I mustn't die…_

 _Even if it looks painful, even if I'm crying in sadness…_

 _Deep in my heart I feel your warmth."_

Some days, Saori felt like leaving Edo and going back home to Konoha. But the thought of abandoning Menma…she just couldn't bear it. So she took the loneliness, the frustration, amongst other emotions. Saori felt her eyes begin to water. She narrowed her eyes, attempting to hold them back.

" _Time changed as it ebbed and flowed…_

 _I can't remember what happened anymore but…_

 _if I try and close my eyes I can hear someone's laughter…_

 _Somehow that's now my most precious treasure."_

Tears streamed down her face, as she clapped lightly. A pang of sadness hit her. She stayed in Edo, not for herself. Not because she liked the city or the people. No. She stayed for Menma. Despite what little time they had spent together, Saori treasured it as much as the time they spent in Konoha.

"Are you alright?" Ren asked, handing her his handkerchief. Saori nodded wordlessly wiping at her cheeks. "I knew that you wrote that song and all, but I didn't expect it to have that much of an effect on you."

Saori laughed. "Ass." That was the extent of their interaction for the rest of the concert, as Lin sang to her hearts content. The crowd became even louder with every song. By the end of it, Saori ears were ringing. She followed Ren backstage to congratulate Lin on a successful concert.

However, Saori stopped in her tracks when Menma came running through the door, sweat dripping from his brow. "Menma?" Something was wrong. Saori had a feeling about what her brother would say.

"Saori…Konoha…it's…under attack…"

* * *

 _Konoha_

 _5:21 p.m._

* * *

The fires raged around, rising high into the sky, filling the air with smoke. Kage crawled on the ground, writhing in pain. He needed to find Arashi. Only he knew how to reverse the effects of the seal that Hisami had placed on him. Kage knew exactly how Hisami had placed it on him. _That bump._ How could he been so careless?

Grabbing a nearby windowsill, Kage lifted himself up. He could not see a damn thing. Civilians ran past him, screaming for their lives. Shinobi ran past him hurrying to the defenses of the villages. Yet they paid him no mind. Sharp pain coursed through his body as his shoulder throbbed.

"Damn…it." He slowly and cautiously limped towards the Hokage's office. He could see Arashi's golden seals glowing through the smoke, as thousands of projectiles and elements reflected off of an invisible shield. Kage looked around, scanning the horizon for giant, lumbering beasts made of chakra. Yet he saw none. A terrible thought crossed his head. The throbbing in his shoulder became worse.

Kage collapsed in the middle of an empty alleyway. The sound of footsteps reached his ears. Looking up, he saw quite a few bandits looking at him hungrily.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we have here." The leader of the group leaned forward, and put his knife up against Kage's cheek. Then in one quick movement, Kage's hand grabbed the man's head in a vice like grip, and ripped his head clean off, spine and everything. The other bandits stepped back a bit.

Kage didn't wait for them to make a move. He lunged at the nearest one, crushing her throat with one punch. Spinning around, Kage dodged a wild and sloppy sword slash aimed at his throat. Instead of dodging the next strike, Kage deflected the katana with his hand, splitting it in half and sending the top half through the bandit's chest.

One of the other bandits charged towards him. Kage leaned down, lifted the man behind his back, and threw him into a nearby wall. His head blew up like a watermelon. The pain in his shoulder grew even worse. Kage wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

He quickly dispatched the next two who tried to attack him and split the third one comepletely in half. The last remaining bandit, rushed at him, Katana raised high in the smoke filled sky. Kage ducked in under his attack, split the man's gut open and kicked him back into a wall on the opposite side of the street. His guts were strewn about all over the streets.

Kage nearly collapsed again, as more pain coursed through his body. He had barely managed to tune out the pain before and now…It was becoming too much.

"Kage! You alright!?" Kage's eyes widened, as the pain suddenly disappeared. Appearing from behind him was Kenji, sweat dripping down his face, breathing heavily. A sudden urge filled Kage's body as he lunged towards Kenji, swiping at the Namikaze with his dagger. "What the fuck!?"

The pain was now comepletely gone. All that was left, was the primal urge to kill. Before his consciousness comepletely disappeared, Kage looked up towards Kenji. Eyes flashing from his bright green to a deep purple. "I'm sorry."

* * *

 _Fireborn District, Konoha_

 _6:00 p.m._

Naruko dives through a window, narrowly avoiding a barrage of projectiles thrown her direction. To her right, Naruto slammed into a nearby wall, causing it to collapse down into the street below, crushing a group of enemy soldiers running underneath. The blonde female sprints past a group of rebels who managed to make their way up to the roofs. Though they wouldn't get far, as Sakurai jumped from a nearby building and smashed down into them, causing the building to collapse.

She scanned the horizon, spotting a massive, hulking black bear rampaging through Phoenix Nest District far off to the west. To the south, Hokage Mountain was becoming full with not just the citizens of Konoha, but refugee's, their livestock and dozens of other valuables that would be lost to the Black Chakra.

Speaking of which, the Black Chakra had an effect on her. What kind, Naruko didn't know. All she knew was that Kurama didn't like it. She hadn't been able to access her Jinchuriki chakra at all. Her twin reported the same from his Kurama.

"Gather around my little students!" Their sensei called out, landing on a nearby rooftop, his forehead protector pulled up, Sharingan glowing through the smoke. The metal on the back of his gloves were stained with blood. "I just got word from Arashi that there are two bloodline users in this district that are causing some major trouble." Bloodline users? "Now, Arashi was going to send someone else to deal with them, but I volunteered you guys. And by you guys…I mean Naruto and Naruko."

"What!? Why!?" Naruko was confused.

"Sakurai is need in the hospital, and Fugaku called for his children to help him out in the Uchiha district." Kakashi's eyes wrinkled. A sign that he was smiling. "Don't worry. You guy's will be fine."

Naruko nearly grinned when she heard what Sayoko muttered under her breath.

"They better, or else you're dead."

* * *

 _Torture and Interrogation Center, Phoenix Nest District, Konoha_

 _6:24 p.m._

"…Do you understand Souta-san?" The bandit, or rather former bandit, shook his head frantically. The shaking continued, becoming more violent by the second. It was getting rather irritating to say the least. Kazuma stayed behind to clean up the room before heading out to Level 13, a couple of floors below them.

Kazuma strolled out of the room, grabbed his coat began to make his down when he suddenly stopped short of a wall. The black haired Namikaze held his arms out to the side, halting those on either side of him. The vibrations and shaking had become so violent that it was nearly impossible to stay upright.

"What are you doing Kazuma!? Do you want to get us killed!?" Anko shouted, using the wall as a support. Kazuma gave her a pointed look. The shaking stopped momentarily. Then, a massive explosion blew the wall up and created an opening into the structure.

"What the fuck is that!?" Standing out in the streets, was a giant black bear, made of purely chakra. Its eyes were a black hole, sucking in any natural chakra in vicinity. Kazuma took one look at it and looked back at Ibiki.

"Go. I'll take care of it." Some of the prisoners and newbies looked at him like he was crazy. Ibiki and the other veterans nodded, herding the prisoners down into emergency stairways. The bear roared, its powerful voice producing shockwaves that tore down the rest of the walls and a couple of other buildings.

Yet Kazuma stood on firm ground, unshaken. In fact he looked amused, the corners of his lips twisting into a small smile. The beast lifted its huge paw off of the ground and smashed it down onto Kazuma, who leaped up and out of harm's way.

He stuffed his hands into his pocket, jumping into the air again, as bear swiped sideways, crushing the surrounding buildings. Landing softly onto a pile of rubble, Kazuma titled his head. The bear roared once more, this time directly at Kazuma. The most it did was blow his coat back into the air.

"I must say…you are an interesting creating. Yes. Quite interesting." He muttered, slipping on a pair of white silk gloves with golden seams. A fiery emblem glowed on the back, with the kanji for phoenix in the middle.

"It's disappointing to have to kill you…but it must be done." He thrust his right arm out, holding out a finger. Behind him, a swirling mass of fire burst into existence and flew towards the beast like a missile. The explosion filled the streets and rose high into the air.

With a swipe of its arms the bear cleared out the smoke, looking relatively unharmed. Kazuma smiled even wider. "So it seems that magical attacks do hurt you. From Menma's report, it can said that you are also weak towards physical attacks."

"I don't use magic often…but it seems that you'll be a good test subject." A smile appeared on Kazuma's face. He raised his hands once more. This time, thrusting out two fingers. This time, two spiralling bursts of flame struck the beast with the force of a thousand fireballs.

Before the bear could recover and absorb more chakra, Kazuma stuck his other arm out, thrusting it upwards. Coming from the ground, a massive swirling fire tornado erupted around the bear showering it in embers and flames. Its roar could scarcely be heard through the explosion.

"I'm not done yet." Kazuma then clapped his arms together. Up above in the clouds, the smoke from his fire swirled around in a circle forming an opening. " **Elemental Arts: Phoenix Storm!** " The opening glowed a bright and fiery orange, before unleashing beam of energy that encompassed nearly the entire city block.

Kazuma then intertwined his hands together. " **Elemental Arts: Plasma Tornado!** " The air around the bear became superheated to the point that it became plasma. It then swirled around high in the air surround the bear. "Time for the encore."

Kazuma held out one hand and then snapped his fingers together. A bright flash of energy appeared in the tornado as the bear roared in pain. The black haired Namikaze did this four times in a row. He then slammed his hands down into the ground. " **Elemental Arts: Feast of the Phoenix!** "

A massive fireball, in the shape of a phoenix's beak rose from the ground devouring the entire city block in its mouth. It was quite a spectacle to say the least. Standing where the beast was, was mass of black gunk splattered all over the debris. Though the air was filled with a black smoke that seemed to swirling back into one giant piece.

"I don't think so. **Entrapment Arts: Hellfire Cage**." The remnants of his magical fire then swirled and formed a giant golden cage. "Now to…uh…finish you off." The cage then disappeared into a giant swirling fire tornado that rose high into the sky.

Then the sound of not one, but two roars came to Kazuma's attention. Scanning the skyline, he spotted a giant black lion off in the Fire Storm District. He then turned his head to the right, spotting a dragon with red scales.

"Oh…What the fuck is it now?"

* * *

 **(Brand New World-Gakusen Toshi Asterisk OP)**

 **Whoo! New anime season is out! One-Punch man…I think is actually overhyped but that's me. Then there are these two anime:**

 **Gakusen Toshi Asterisk and Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry.**

 **They are…similar to say the least.**

 **The main heroine, or who I think is the main heroine, are both princesses. With pinkish hair. They both revolve around a magical school. Except one is with swords and the other is basically with lightsabers. So if you are in need of a new anime to watch…check them out.**

 **For Lin's song, I used the English lyrics of Ichiban no Takaramono from Angel Beats.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**


	7. When dragons and lions run

_(Guren no Yumiya-Attack on Titan OP1)_

* * *

 _Main Gates, Senju Dr. Konoha_

 _5:46 p.m._

* * *

Dropping down the small two storey building, Himiko took a knee and surveyed her surroundings. Fire was all she could see. Smoke rose high into the sky and blotted out the sun. The sound of battle was deafening. Sighing Kimiko jumped up towards a nearby house, the tiles collapsing under her feet.

To her right, she saw the giant bear rampaging towards the interrogation center. Slight worry filled her, before it quickly disappeared. Kazuma could handle himself. Looking down she spotted a squad of Anbu ambush a group of the enemy, peppering them with shuriken and kunai. Further down the street, she saw Iruka fighting two enemy soldiers.

The sound of something collapsing caught her attention. The tiles which she was running along began to fall apart into little pieces. She then pumped chakra into her legs and began to run faster.

Something out of the corner of her eye glinted against what little rays of the sun there were. It was metallic in substance, shining brightly. Himiko twisted around, a metallic swish in the air, sounding. Turning around, Himiko leaned back slightly dodging another slash of the blade.

Standing in front of her was a man with short, dark purple hair. His eyes, a bright purple, shining against the dark sky. In his hand was a 3 foot long gleaming katana, running along his shoulder was a bright purple mark that glowed.

"Well, well, well. Seems this little fox is lost." His distorted voice was somewhat off-putting to say the least. The man twirled his katana around, before pointing it at her.

"Who are you?" Himiko reached into her pouch and wrapped her hands around the cold grip of a kunai. She had an idea of he was. A purple haired swordsman with a glowing purple tattoo? That could only be-

"Jin Satoru. The Purple Blade." So he was. Himiko read his file a long time ago. One of the Coloured Blades of the Land of Iron. Among the best swordsmen in the world. She loosened her grip on her Kunai. If what she read about him was true, then she would be in serious trouble. Her eyes darted around, looking. Not for an escape, no, Jin Satoru could not be allowed to roam free in the city. Jin's sword glinted in the sun as he whipped it across her chest.

Himiko stepped back in time, the tip of the blade grazing her shirt. The blonde jumped in the air at an angle, avoiding the backhanded slash. In midair she twisted around and landed a kick to Jin's shoulder, pushing him back slightly.

Once her feet touched the tiled roof, she flipped off to the side, barely dodging a lightning quick counter-attack. Himiko flipped around in the air again, the katana flying past her head, imbedding itself into a nearby wall. Whipping her head around, Himiko was met with a foot to her face.

Stumbling along the ground, she rolled, the katana slicing into the ground where she used to be. The Namikaze, flipped up into the air, Jin's blade swinging at empty air. Righting herself up, Himiko titled her body, dodging a jab at her shoulder. She couldn't, however avoid the near instantaneous diagonal slash down her chest,

"Shit! Fuck." The blade cut deep into her body. She took a step back, just barely outside of his blade's jabbing range. Taking a moment to calm herself, Himiko shifted her feet shoulders length apart. Her arms held out in front of her.

"Like that will help." Jin rolled forward, and instead of jabbing his blade forward, he swung it diagonally toward her shoulders. Himiko's reaction was slightly delayed, the edge of the katana ripping through the fabric of her jacket. While jumping back, she discarded her jacket, throwing it into Jin's downward slash.

Then, she spotted the glint of a sword to her right. Spinning around Jin's attack, she felt his backhand miss the back of her neck by mere centimeters. Reaching out, Himiko grasped the hilt, rolled forward, her feet colliding with a wall. Once both of her feet were firmly planted, Himiko flipped over Jin, his sword cutting into the wall. Somehow.

Breathing heavily, Himiko crossed blades with the purple haired swordsman, their swords colliding. Though it only lasted for a second. She pulled back, parrying a strike, before whipping her katana back the other way. Jin quickly reacted, bringing his own blade up, and forcing her to miss.

Himiko stepped back again, feigning a strike to Jin's knees. She then spun around slashing downwards, to his torso. Jin didn't move an inch, instead bringing his hilt up, meeting her blade mid-slash. Her surprise must have showed on her face, as Jin pushed her blade out of the way and counter-attacked with his own slash. Again without moving.

Himiko began to slide backwards, her grip tightening. "You should stop trying to beat me at my own game girl. It's not going to end well otherwise." That was true. The only person in Konoha who could have beaten Jin would be her sister. Tsugumi. But she was somewhere else.

She didn't have much more time to think as Jin unleashed a blinding combo. Most of his strikes were blocked, parried or deflected. Save for the last one, which Jin whipped across her stomach. Biting back a scream, Himiko lunged forward, slashing at the carotid artery. Jin didn't even look as he deflect her blade to the side.

"Come on. I was expecting more out of Konoha's Princess." Himiko spun around, deflecting a slash aimed at her midsection. Jin used her deflection to redirect his sword up above her body. He then slashed downwards. Himiko leaned back, the tip of Jin's katana slicing the skin covering her collar bone.

Options began to run out. She couldn't beat Jin at his own game and there was no way he would let her play her game. So that meant she had to improvise. Nah. _I didn't think I'd have to bust it out so early._ Lowering her sword, Himiko sighed, smirking. Jin frowned. He had no intentions of lowering his guard. He then grimaced in pain, his free hand moving over to his shoulder. The tattoo began to glow even brighter.

"Don't you think it's time to turn things up a notch?" To which Jin grinned, spinning his sword around his palm. They began circling around each other. Himiko made sure to keep her wrist and hand as stiff as possible. Her katana began to glow a light blue, shimmering in the air.

Jin struck again, Himiko leaped back, jumping high into the air, far out of Jin's range. She flipped in the air, landing on a nearby rooftop. Her purple haired opponent was right behind her.

She ran. The tiles flying around, as she pumped chakra into her legs, managing to outrun Jin. Rounding the corner, Himiko slammed her fist into a wall, causing it to collapse. Looking for signs of Jin before entering the building, Himiko stood against a wall.

Her fingers were a blur as they ran through a set of handseals. " _Uzumaki Hidden Jutsu: Spirit of the Whirlpool._ " After which her body glowed a bright red, pupils turning orange, veins becoming more pronounced.

Steel scraped against concrete. Himiko's gaze darted toward the opening. With one quick flick of the wrist, she flung her katana towards the entrance. Debris sprayed everywhere, shrouding her vision. The shine of Jin's blade however, she could make out through the shards of concrete, and the cloud of dust.

Quick as a snake, she grasped the tip of the katana, a red trail following her hand. In one fluid motion, she rotated her body and redirected Jin's jab away. The purple haired man flew by her, dragged along by the momentum of his sword.

With his back turned, Himiko unleashed a flurry of strikes. Jin's katana swung out, slashing at nothing, Himiko ducking underneath and ramming her shoulder into his side, sending Jin flying through the building.

Himiko planted her feet into the concrete, causing a slight depression. With one powerful push, the blonde leaped up. She kept rising higher until she was above Jin. Then she began to corkscrew.

An explosion was the result of their collision. Both of them recovered from the collision instantly, Himiko jumping back, avoiding a thrust from Jin's katana. Himiko didn't give Jin a chance to counter as she rotated on her heel and kicked Jin back.

She then lunged forward, grabbing Jin's heel and spinning around, before releasing and throwing him through another building. Himiko disappeared in a flash of red mixed with yellow, reappearing behind Jin and backhanding him through a nearby building.

Her hands blurred through another set of handseals. " _Wind Release: Eagle Wing Gale!_ " Clapping her palms together, she gathered chakra into the center of her palms and released a blast of wind that sounded like the call of an eagle. The blast of wind hit Jin dead center, propelling him further into the building. Before disappearing again, she threw her family's trade mark tri-kunai through one of the windows on the first floor of the building.

Jin may have been one of the Coloured Swords, but he was the weakest. Himiko knew that much. All she had to do was prevent him from using his sword. She couldn't do that before. The confined space put him at too much of an advantage, and gave her little room to use her agility.

Chasing after him, Himiko stopped in front of him, clasped her hands together and smashed him downwards through multiple floors. Before he could land at the bottom, she used her _Hiraishin_ to appear below and did a spin kick which sent Jin flying through the building again.

She jumped up high into the air, making sure to follow Jin's path. When he made contact with the ground, Himiko disappeared once again.

A crater had appeared where the Purple Sword had crashed. Any surrounding houses were flattened, not necessarily from Jin though. She walked forward before stopping short of Jin.

"What the fuck…"

Jin was on all fours, the purple mark spreading throughout his body. He roared, as chakra began to seep from his body, lingering in the air. Soon, his body disappeared, swallowed up by a giant mass of chakra. In his place was a dragon, with scales as red as blood, eyes like a volcano. He roared loudly

"Well shit…"

* * *

 _Central District, Konoha_

 _5:57 p.m._

* * *

Arashi's eyes scanned the horizon, his cold blue gaze piercing through the thick and puffy smoke and blazing fire that engulfed most of the village. His eyes wandered away from the flames and focused in on the giant bear that was rampaging in the Phoenix Nest District. _It won't last long_.

"Arashi-sama!" The Namikaze turned his gaze slightly to the side. Scattered all around were members of his Anbu guard. Not that he needed them. "Reports are coming from the Blazing Leaf District that the enemy are beginning to retreat. Should we pursue?"

"No. We knew that Rebels wouldn't be staying long. Captain, I need you to send a team to the Blazing Leaf District, kill any of the Rebels that do decide to stay in the city." The bear helmeted captain, promptly disappeared in a puff of smoke. _When is Natsumi going to return? As much as it pains me, I need the help of her Black Foxes._

His father leaving for the chunin exam bidding war couldn't have come at a worse time. Now it was up to Arashi to lead the forces of Konoha. And with both Natsumi and Kimiko out of the city, he would have less weapons to work with. But he could make do with what he had.

Walking over to the side, Arashi stood behind a glowing yellow barrier. Blasts and projectiles of all kinds were being deflected, reflected and absorbed by the barrier. Far away, a dark mass of energy was slowly, inching its way towards them. Inside of the dark mass was a man. He was too far away for Arashi to make out all of his features.

"Seijuro-san. I'm gonna go out. Keep an eye on the seals. Make sure that they keep running." The wolf helmeted man kneeling on one of the seals made a short nod. But Arashi was already gone, nothing but a swirl of leaves in his place.

Arashi reappeared a few feet away from the mass of black energy. The man inside stopped, his hands stuffed into his pockets, a smirk on his lips. Something about the man was familiar. Short black hair, purple, knee length coat and striking purple eyes.

 _Those eyes…_ Arashi clenched his fist. _So it seems that Menma's description was spot on._ The man slowly walked forward, smirk turning into a full-blown grin. "Who are you?" A fruitless question, Arashi knew. But, no harm in confirming.

"Do I even have to answer that? Of course I do." The man jabbed at his chest with his thumb. "I am Hisami. No last name. Not that I need one."

"Yes, I suspected as much. " Arashi then disappeared, leaving a puff of smoke mixed in with some swirling leaves. Hisami's smug and arrogant expression vanished and surprise took over.

"What-'" An explosion sent Hisami flying back, Arashi reappeared behind him, a Rasengan forming in his hands. Before he could make contact though, multiple black tendrils swiped at Arashi.

"Tch. Annoying." The blonde jumped back, flipping this way, that way and pushing off of rubble debris. The jonin's eyes darted to the side, a thin tendril speeding towards him.

It made contact, piercing through Arashi's eyes. Hisami was however not taking any chances, as multiple tendrils ripped through Arashi. A puff of smoke covered the action though.

The smoke cleared and Arashi flew through, a yellow blur, and slammed hard into Hisami. Then another Arashi dropped in from above, slamming a rasengan into the Beast Tamer, a depression appearing in the ground.

" _Activate Seal: Ethereal Chains!_ " A giant glowing yellow rune like structure burst into light below Hisami, multiple golden chains flying and whizzing by Hisami. Tendrils and chains clashed.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings." Arashi whispered from behind Hisami before hitting him with a roundhouse kick. Disappearing once again, Arashi was nothing but a flash of yellow and blue, slipping in between his chains and Hisami's tendrils. His hands a blur as they ran through a set of handseals.

" _Fire Release: Phoenix Rain!_ " A thousand giant blobs of flame began to fall from the sky. Hisami grit his teeth, clapping his hands together, a giant purple hand erupted from the ground and snatched up most of the flames.

"Fool. You're gonna have to do more than that!"

Arashi didn't bother responding, instead, letting his after image take the brunt of Hisami's tendrils. Flashing back into view atop a pile of Debris, Arashi reached out and ripped a black chakra arrow out of the air. Down below, Hisami let his bow made of black chakra disintegrate.

"It seems that we're at an impasse here." Hisami spread his arms out, multiple black portals opening up. Inside were weapons of every kind, swords, spears, daggers. All of them made of black chakra.

"I agree." Chakra gathered in Arashi's left hand, swirling into a clear blue sphere. His eyes narrowed. Arashi's free hand reached up and unclasped his cloak, sending it drifting in the wind. "But for completely different reasons."

* * *

 _Iron Flames District, Konoha_

 _6:03 p.m._

* * *

It was difficult. Not because he wasn't as strong as Kage, or because he didn't want to hurt him. Actually it was rather the opposite. Oh how Kenji wanted to kick Kage's teeth in. But now wasn't the time to let emotions take control. Something was obviously wrong here. _Purple eyes, and glowing purple shit on his arm? Something's definitely wrong._

Kenji tilted his head to the side, dodging a quick thrust of a dagger. He spun around a quick downward slash and kicked the dagger out of Kage's hand. It embedded itself into a nearby wall. Being disarmed didn't stop Kage though, as he rushed forward and threw a right hook.

It would collided with a wall. Said wall would collapse into shambles. Kenji darted around dodging as best as he could. When he could not dodge he blocked and ducked and parried. Even took a hit or few.

 _I need to get out of this alleyway. I can't afford to fight Kage here. Not unless I want to pay for the all the destruction that could happen…_ Kenji quickly thought about what he was going to do next. Something which may or may not have been a good idea.

Swerving around a jab, Kenji slammed his fist into Kage's chest. The other redhead was pushed back through a wall. Kenji lunged forward and buried his foot into Kage's stomach. He quickly followed up with another punch. This time to the gut. Some blood flew from Kage's lips. The Tanaka was then thrown across and out of the building and through another wall.

Righting himself up a several meters away, Kage deflected Kenji's attack and counter-attacked with a vicious elbow to the head. Kenji lowered his crown and made it so that the elbow bounced off of his head. Though it still hurt. The Redheaded brawler pushed his shoulder into Kage and shoved him out into the streets.

"Don't make me kick your teeth in." Kenji walked forward, catching Kage's punch like it was a ball. An uppercut sent the other redhead flying again. This time farther away. But that would not do. Kenji became a blur as he jumped high onto the roofs.

Kage landed on a burning roof top, but showed no signs of feeling the heat at all. The fire would evaporate as Kage disappeared in a rush of air that blew them out. He would reappear in front of Kenji and feigned a left hook. Kenji dodged and Kage leaned forward too much and was now standing with his hands. A kick from Kage's raised feet blew by Kenji's defenses.

As quick as he was down, Kage sprung back up and swept Kenji off of his feet. The Namikaze would stop his fall and flip over Kage's downward elbow to the ribs. "Come on man. You can do better that." Kage would give no answer, other than a guttural growl, as he tore up the tiles of the roof they were on.

Kenji felt exhilarated. Adrenaline flowing through his body. The exhaustion from their grueling high speed return to Konoha no longer affecting him. The two darted around each other, nothing but blurs. Shockwaves from their strikes causing nearby houses to fall, the stairs that lead down to the Hellfire District collapsed from the force of their blows.

Both of their fists met and the ensuing shockwave flattened all of the houses in a mile long radius. Kenji withdrew from the fight and slowly walked around Kage who was breathing very heavily. _This is going to go nowhere._ "Time to take it up a notch…" He muttered under his breath and knelt down to the ground. Kage leapt over him like a gazelle. Kenji stood up, his forearms glowing red.

Kage roared like a wild beast, charged at him. His attacks were wild and sloppy slashes and swipes of the arm, as if he was a beast. He fought nothing like the Electric Leaf. Not even a single attempt to electrify him at all. Kage cocked both of his arms back as if spreading his wings.

Seeing such a wide opening, Kenji rushed in and dealt Kage 5 quick jabs to the chest and a spinning kick to the kneecaps. The Tanaka crumpled to the ground. His head reared back as Kenji's foot made contact with his jaw and set him flying and imbedded into a terrace wall that had been torn apart by the fighting.

Both of them were breathing heavily. Then in a flash of red light Kenji disappeared and reappeared in front of Kage, legs locked together, slamming into his opponent's chest. Kage fell to the ground and rolled back avoiding a stomp to the mouth.

Soon enough the two of them were again locked in combat. Kage was a purple blur, slashing and swiping wildly. Chunks of cement and concrete flew all over, destroying anything that made contact with. His strikes, while sloppy and wild, were powerful and something that were more akin to that of a lion.

If Kage was a lion then Kenji was a snake. Darting and dancing around, avoiding getting hit as best he could. His movements were fluid like a dancer. Kage seemed to have a hard time even hitting the Fox of Konoha.

"I don't think you can keep this up any longer buddy." Kenji snarled, ducked under a two handed downward slash of the arm. He delivered 2 quick punches to the jaw and a kick to the thigh. He then dealt Kage another lightning quick kick to the cheek.

The possessed Jonin made no signs that he was feeling any pain. The only sign that he had even been injured were the numerous marks and bruises that littered his battered body. _How long has it been since we started? I have to end this quickly._

Kenji noted that something odd was happening. Kage was not blindly charging in like a fool, as he did earlier. He stood in his spot, shaking and shivering as the purple glow around him seemed to become even brighter. His growl became deeper and more guttural. Then he roared.

His time it was different than the numerous other times he had done so during their fight. It was, for a start, a hundred times louder and a thousand times more beast like. Kage was now on all fours, his hair growing fast his shoulders and around his neck like a lion. In fact hair sprouted from all over his body.

But that wasn't the oddest thing to say the least. Kage was growing. He was now the size of a house and getting even bigger. Soon enough Kage would become the size of Hokage mansion itself.

A shrill sound made itself know. Kage-lion paid it no attention, his maw dripping with saliva. A dark purple saliva. Kenji turned his head and saw a giant crimson dragon floating above Senju Dr.

"Fucking great…"

* * *

 _The Land of Iron_

 _6:02 p.m._

Minato paced around and around in his room. 5 hours. 5 hours of doing nothing but squabbling, petty insults and subtle threats of war. His head pounded. And if the letter he had received from Kimiko was anything to go by, Konoha was already burning. He had only to hope that Arashi could protect the city for which he would become the leader of.

He had faith in Arashi. In all of his children. But Arashi the most. A prodigy that outshone even that of himself. A master of seals that would rival his maternal ancestors. A mind that was as sharp as the blades that he wielded. An experienced one too. But not in true battle. Battles where anything could happen. Where an army half the size could win through tactics and will power.

Kenji was a genius in hand to hand. Trained by the best the village could offer and supposedly by Hiro the Steel Fist of the Far East. If that was where his hotheaded son had disappeared to for those 2 years he was gone, then it was two years well spent. But he was too cocky and arrogant. If there was anything more dangerous than his fists: it was his cockiness.

His twin sister on the other hand, was unmatched in a field many thought Minato was a master of. _It helps that her father was a master of Space-Time Ninjutsu_. The Hokage thought with a smile on his face. Himiko's skill with Seals were third only to Arashi and her father.

The twins…they were too young to be fighting in this battle. But as the Kage Summit showed Minato, then Naruto and Naruko would need all the experience that they could. But they had yet to reach their full potential, as slow as their growth was. Compared to their siblings anyways.

Minato did not need to worry about Kazuma either. Out of all of them, Kazuma had the most experience in battle and war. Tsugumi, despite not being formally trained in the Shinobi arts, was not a force that should be taken lightly either.

A sigh broke past his lips. He sat down on the bed facing the window. The sound of someone knocking at the door drew his attention from the stark grey, snow filled sky, "Come in."

"Sensei." Kakashi walked in, shook the snow out of his hair, not that it was that noticeable, and leaned against a wall. "All of the votes have been counted. The chunin exams are to be held in Kumo." His voice sounded drained and tired.

"I see."

"Should we return to Konoha at once?"

"No… We will wait. There is nothing for us to worry about." But was there really? Minato dismissed Kakashi and was left alone in the cold, cold room. _I'm getting to fucking old for this._ How old was he now? 47? It was hard to believe that took it 9 years for Kushina's seal to finally break. It was hard to believe that he had 11 children. It was hard to believe that even darker days were coming. It was hard to believe that 25 years had passed since he had become Hokage

"What a waste this was." Minato muttered standing up. The sun had begun to set. Not that it was visible in through the snow fall anyway, but his sharp eyes could make out the faint orange glow anyways. He walked over to the window and looked out into the snow.

Despite his faith in his children…He couldn't leave it to that. He was the Hokage. Not Arashi. He should be in Konoha leading the charge. Not his children. He should be making an example of all who would wish to destroy all that he had built. All that he had created. Then he would have to make an example of them.

* * *

 _Edo, the Land of Fire_

 _6:25 p.m._

* * *

To his own surprise, Menma was rather calm throughout all this. To his left, Saori was pacing over and over, hands intertwined together. She was muttering prayers under her breath. All despite Menma's reassurances. Kanade was in her room, sleeping.

"How can you be so come with all…this going on!?" Saori eyes were red and puffy. Though Menma was certain that they had been that way when he had told her the news. Her voice was quivering and her hand shaking. Menma leaned forward and wiped away the tear that had sprung from her tear duct. He then gripped her shoulder and looked his sister in the eye.

"How? Because I have faith. There's nothing to be worried about. Konoha has gone through worse. Konoha was lived through worse."

"It's not that I'm worried about." Her skin was cold to the touch, tears streaming down her face now. "What If we do fail? What's going to happen to Naruto? Or Tsugumi? What's going to happen to our siblings?"

Menma wrapped his arms around Saori, pulling her in, her head resting on his shoulder, the tears dripping down onto his jacket. His hand rubbed the area beside her shoulder blades. "You have to have faith in them. You have to believe that they will survive and that they will come out victorious."

The siblings would stay that way for an entire minute, before Saori had fallen asleep on his shoulder. "You're 14 and I still have to carry you to bed." Menma said to her sleeping form, a smile on his face. He left the room as quietly as he could.

Outside was quite a mess. Soldiers escorting panicking dignitaries to who knows where. Servants rushing around, mothers trying to hush their crying babies and children. Menma walked past all of them, the sounds nothing but a hum in his ears.

Upstairs was nearly deserted, with only the occasional soldier running down the hallways. To be honest, Menma wasn't sure why the people of Edo were panicking. The battle was a miles away, and it would take at least 10 hours to get from Konoha to Edo.

Menma rounded the corner and strolled into Ryuunosuke's room. Sitting down, stamping paperwork on his desk, was the man himself. His room was large and spacious, with books and papers strewn about. A large lamp hung down from the ceiling.

Ryuunosuke had cut his long hair which had rested at his shoulders. Now it was combed back and short. He looked up sighed, stamping one of the papers with a loud thud before carelessly tossing the stamper away.

"Ah…Menma. How is Saori?" Menma nodded, eyes darting around searching for something. "I'll take that as a yes. If you're looking for Kanade she's in her room. Sleeping of course. That's all she does as of late anyways. Now leave me alone and let me do my work."

The halls were now empty with only the occasional official or soldier walking. Most of the doors were locked and maybe even barred shut. Menma hoped that Kanade was still asleep. But with his luck that wasn't going to happen.

Kanade was indeed awake. But she was laying in her bed, staring at the wall. As soon as he entered her room, Kanade's eyes snapped to him almost immediately. She beckoned him to take a seat.

"What's with all the commotion?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Really?" one of her eyebrows was raised sceptically. "Then tell me…What is this non-important news that made your little sister cry?" She smiled. "There are wet marks on your shirt. And unless you've lent another lady a shoulder to cry on or spilled something on your shirt, then you should stop trying to lie to me."

Menma hesitated. Kanade wasn't like Saori. She knew the horrors of war. Though she never fought in any war, she knew the horrors. He supposed that it was alright to tell her. "Konoha is…under attack."

A tightness appeared in her mouth. "I thought as much." Kanade looked towards the windows, rays of light no longer slicing through the dusty air. "But there's nothing we can do about so far away. All we can do is hope that your brother can protect the city."

That wasn't the answer that Menma thought he would get. It was also the answer he didn't want to get. Despite her words, Kanade's quivering voice, sharp breaths and rapidly rising chest told him otherwise. Menma leaned forward and embraced Kanade. A sharp gasp escaped from her mouth. "It's alright. Everything is going to be alright. You don't have to be strong."

"What a hypocrite you are…" Her voice was small and weak. "You go around telling your sister to have faith and to be strong and now here you are telling me to be weak."

A chuckle. "So you were spying on us. But…I don't you to be weak. I also don't want you to have false strength."

"How can I? The only living member of my family still lives in Konoha. I…I…" She could form no words as she broke into sobs. Menma took a breath. He turned her around, and planted his lips onto hers. Menma grasped her wrists and slowly layed her down onto the bed.

"Before we left…I had Arashi promise me that your brother would survive. And you should know…a Namikaze never goes back on a promise. No matter how far-fetched it may seem." He began to plant small kisses on her earlobes, her neck and collarbones.

Soft moans echoed around the room. Kanade ran her hands down Menma's body, slipping his jacket off, leaving him in a shirt that left very little to the imagination. His own hands unbuttoned her shirt and threw it to the side, leaving her in her bra.

"So please…Allow me to wash away all of your fears."

* * *

 _Outskirts of Konoha,_

 _6:51 p.m._

Natsumi peered out from her perch up high in the trees. All around her, rebels were fleeing in terror of the giant beasts made of chakra. They had tolerated the one Giant bear that Hisami had brought, but they would have none of the two that had popped up out of nowhere.

She jumped from the tree and smashed a rebel's skull in, her grey matter splattering everywhere. Before the others around her could react, Kunai and shuriken rained from the trees. Behind her, a contingent of Anbu rose from their spots.

One of them jumped beside her, the face mask of his eagle helmet retracting to the sides. Sojirou's hair glistened with sweat, breath coming short and fast. His grip on his katana, tight. He shared a look with Natsumi before jerking his head to the side. Sojirou disappeared along with a couple of other Anbu.

"Seems like we arrived just in time eh?" Natsumi smiled, raised her hands before pointing towards Konoha. She jumped high into the air, landing on the nearest tree before leaping towards the next one and the next and the next, with the Anbu following behind her.

She twisted around, dodging a stray splinter of wood, if a 5 foot long wooden stake flying towards her head could be called a splinter. Smoke no longer clouded the skies as much as it did earlier. But the smell of burned wood and the scent of dead, and burned bodies littered the air.

Near Hokage Mountain a storm of crystals, snow, and chains could be seen all the way from the outskirts of Konoha. Whatever it was, the damage it could cause was unimaginable. And it was so close to the shelters as well. Natsumi sucked in a breath and ran up the wall as fast as possible.

Standing atop the wall, Natsumi could make out much more of the damage that had been done to the city. A good chunk of the city remained untouched by the destruction. All the way to the other side of the city. Yet most of what she saw was dotted with craters and huge depressions. Streams of blood ran through the streets. The springs had been reduced to splinters. The baths littered with bodies. She could tell if they were rebels or not. But it mattered not.

Running across the landscape, were the blurs of Sojirou and his squad. They soon disappeared from her view. "All right." Natsumi called out. "You guys know what to do. Squad 1! With me."

Without looking back to check on them, Natsumi jumped forward, landing in a storm of dust. She sprinted towards the center of the village where a good chunk of the enemy remained.

Natsumi's eyes narrowed, focusing in on a group of rebel soldiers appearing. One of them shouted at her, but she continued running forward. She slid past the man who appeared to be their leader, and slit his ankles. The Namikaze flipped herself up and kicked another man's head off to the side.

Her Anbu squad cut the group down with no problem, the sound of their bodies falling to the ground. Across the rooftops, she could make out the blurs of her fellow Anbu streaking across the rooftops.

A stray kunai flew towards her. She caught it in the nick of time, the tip of the blade mere inches from her left eyeball. Natsumi smirked and twirled the kunai around her finger. She flung it into a dark open window. A scream broke out and a body fell down into the streets.

Far beyond the destroyed buildings, a giant golden circle with a glowing character in the center appeared. Around it several chains of pure energy battled against several weapons made of a black substance. It had to be black chakra. _Arashi._

"Captain Riku," She waved the falcon helmeted Anbu over. Her helmet's face mask retracted to the sides, revealing stringy blonde locks that hung in front of her green eyes. "Take Lion and Shark and get a message to Arashi. Tell him that the cavalry has arrived."

"Yes Commander." Her mask retracted back into place, as she knelt to ground before disappearing along with two others. Natsumi watched their figures disappear over a collapsed apartment building. She fingered a mask that was strapped to her side. She held up against her face. A click sounded and multiple pieces of metal and ceramic jutted out and formed an intricate helmet that resembled that of a fox.

"Let's get down to business then."

* * *

 _Firebird District, Konoha_

 _7:01 p.m._

* * *

It pained Tsugumi that she wasn't allowed to go out and help defend her city. Tsugumi sighed, staring out to the horizon where two giant chakra monsters had popped up out of nowhere. Though she would be lying if she said that she didn't feel a huge surge of chakra appear.

Her hands, wrapped in bandages, made their way down to the hilt of her Yuki-Hime, her katana. The fires had died down and now only puffs of smoke remained in the sky. The work of the few wind users that lived in Konoha no doubt.

Tsugumi let out another sigh, as she made her way outside the house. All around her, people milled about, talking, laughing and making noise in general. It would have been a confusing site, but she knew that it was just to take their minds off of the ongoing battle.

The streets weren't just filled with civilians though, wounded shinobi were everywhere. An hour ago, the hospital was in the path of the giant black chakra bear that had been causing havoc. That was as much of the battle that Tsugumi saw, as she helped bring wounded shinobi to the few untouched parts of the village.

She was at first skeptical of the idea that whoever was attacking them, wouldn't attack all sides. But it was all too clear to her now. The enemy didn't have enough men to surround the village entirely. And at the time, there was only one chakra beast.

A loud explosion brought Tsugumi back into focus. Overhead, a giant shard of ice and crystal, surrounded with chains flew overhead and smashed into one of the taller buildings. All around, panic swarmed. Tsugumi saw Sakurai making his way through the crowds towards her. His pink hair, glistened with sweat, and was stained with blood. As was his face and most other parts of his body.

"What's going on!?" She asked. Sakurai shrugged.

"Listen, I know that your parents would kill you, but you have to go out there and deal with whatever just did that. If they get any closer with their projectiles, the stray shards and any remaining pieces could cause tremendous casualties." Tsugumi's hand twitched towards her sword instinctively.

"How do I even find whoever's doing this? I can't use my chakra sensing either. There's too many people here for that."

"Is it going to be really that hard to find a giant ice crystal being formed with chains? Anyways, if you need help, try to find Naruto and Naruko. I have feeling that they're already on this." Sakurai said no more before going back to treating the injuries of a nearby civilian.

 _Okay. This is what I wanted to do anyways, right?_ Now she wasn't so sure. But Tsugumi accepted the quest anyways. She streaked down the crowded streets, before leaping up onto the mountain. As soon as her feet made contact with the solid rock, she flipped off of it and onto a nearby rooftop.

Tsugumi turned and came face to face with a giant ice spear. It was moving blazingly fast for an object of its size, but Tsugumi it might as well have been not moving at all. In half the time it would have taken to blink her eye, Tsugumi had pulled Yuki-Hime free from her scabbard and cut the ice spear into pieces.

The next one appeared almost instantly. Instead of cutting it into pieces, Tsugumi jumped atop of it, and redirected it away from the safe zone before leaping to another roof that was nearby. _Alright. Let's do this!_

* * *

 _(Papermoon-Soul Eater OP2)_

* * *

 _Happy Halloween!_


	8. A promise is a promise

_(Ambiguous-Kill La Kill OP2)_

* * *

 _Fireborn District, Konoha_

 _7:03 p.m._

* * *

The sun had set now, with only the faintest of orange glows lighting up the evening sky. All around the fires had begun to weaken. Naruto ran a hand through his blonde hair, stricken with dirt, sweat, and blood. Across from him, Naruko jumped down from her perch up above.

"Are we close?"

Naruko nodded her head, her long blonde ponytail swaying with the movement. "Yes. They're a couple of blocks from here." She turned and looked towards the faces of the Hokage's up on the mountain. "I think they aim to go after the civilians."

"I gathered that much when I saw a giant crystal missile make a crater the size of Hashirama-sama's head." Naruto frowned. He knew who was responsible. Who else could it be? Naruko caught wind of his expression.

"What are you going to do when you see them?" Her forehead, furrowed, in the way that it always did when she thought about things. "I know that you gave them a promise but…"

"But nothing." Naruto interrupted, clenching his fists. "A promise is something that a Namikaze never goes back on. I have to do this." _But for the right reasons is it?_ He wondered if the twins looked the same as they did 3 months ago.

"Alright then. Let's go!" With that, the twins disappeared in twin flashes of light, bright against the dark skies. They tore across the rooftops, eliminating any who had stayed. Naruto was conflicted. They had attacked his home, and killed the people of his village. This was something that he could not allow. But he had a promise to keep. And…he wasn't sure if they did this of their own accord or not.

He jumped and ran along a wall, parallel to the ground below. Running alongside him, Naruko flipped over a stray chain. The chain ripped the street and the buildings around apart. Naruko whooped and flipped over to the top of his building. Naruto reached a hand out toward his sister. His twin grasped his hand and flipped him over onto the top of the roof. They were now surrounded by a giant crystal snowstorm.

Giant chains were all around them, ripping Fireborn District apart. As if the storm and battle hadn't already done that. In the heart of the storm, Naruto could make out three figures. He felt his heart beat faster. Even faster than it already had during battle.

He was so deep in thought that he failed to notice the crystal shuriken flying towards him. He looked up and caught one by the tip. The others were deflected by his sister. "Hey! Pay attention! You can't keep a promise if you die moron!"

Naruto grinned and flipped to another building. He was getting closer, inch by inch. Meter by meter. The trio's voices were becoming clearer and more audible. He heard her sarcastic and mocking voice. Naruto didn't realize how hard his hands were shaking.

They were just outside the center, when the storm suddenly cleared. Naruto narrowed his eyes. A group of chains flew towards him. The blonde flipped over it and landed on the ground, where a fist smashed into his cheek and sent him flying into a ruined wall.

From the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Naruko arrive on her dragon summon. A fast approaching object had caught his attention. Rolling over to the side, Naruto barely avoided being impaled. But he wished he had.

He came face to face with Kisara. Her silver eyes wide with shock. Chrome coloured hair flew in the wind, a large bang covering up her eyes. The crystal user's hair had grown longer, reaching to her back now. Her arm was cocked back, hand in a fist.

Instead of punching him in the face, Kisara jumped back. Naruto rose, quickly taking a kunai from his pouch and sliced a chain in half. The wind picked up, dust kicking up into the air, as Naruko landed.

Standing in the center, with a bewildered look, was Yukihara, her platinum white hair shimmering in the night. Beside her Kazuya had at least 20 to 30 chains flying around him. Despite his companions shock and apprehension, he was composed.

"Y-you…" Kisara whispered, backing away. Her sister didn't know what to do either. Naruto tore his gaze away from the chrome haired girl and made eye contact with Naruko. Her hand was making short quick signs. _They're hesitating. We have to attack now, while they're hesitating._

Naruto nodded reluctantly. "Fancy meeting you guys here huh?" Kisara's voice was nervous, but she did well not to stutter. Her sister was equally nervous. Naruto began to sign Naruko back. _We'd have to hurry, Kazuya isn't likely to hesitate to kill either of us._

His sister dipped her head and leapt from her dragon. She landed, surrounded by a tornado of chains. Naruto disappeared from Kisara's view. The girl looked around, confuzzled. He reappeared behind her and slammed his shoulder into her.

Naruko jumped over the wall of chains, and charged towards Yukihara, who cried out in distress for her sister. Distracted, she rushed towards Kisara, failing to notice Naruko come up behind her and kick her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground.

Kazuya however wasn't so easily distracted though, he jumped back and made his chains go on the attack. Naruto flipped around, avoiding the chains as they nipped at his heels like a pack of hungry dogs. _So annoying_. He slammed his foot into a wall and corkscrewed over a line of chains. As soon as his feet made contact with the ground. Naruto rushed forward and threw a punch at Kazuya.

However, a chain flew up from the ground and wrapped around his ankle and threw Naruto back. His sister wouldn't have much better luck either. Naruko flew above the battlefield with her dragon, who was battling the chains that wished to wrap around her and drag her to the ground.

Naruto rose and stifled a scream when he felt a chain rip through his leg. Right above the knees. His twin would save him the trouble of cutting himself loose and threw a shuriken at the chain.

The blonde female was forced to send her summon back, as the poor beast cried out in agony as the hundreds of chains lashed out at her, tightening around her maw, and limbs tightly. Naruko jumped off and spun in mid-air barely avoiding two chains that rocket past her and imbedded themselves into the wall.

She dashed out to the side, numerous chains at her heels. Naruto was now free as well and running the opposite way. He turned his head for a split second to look at Kisara. The chrome haired girl was still leaning against the wall, unconscious. _Seems I hit her harder than intended._ Either that, or they were faking it. Either way, they could wait.

He leapt over a sweeping chain and deflected several others. Kazuya stayed in place though, his chains forming a whirling wall around him. Naruto made contact with his eyes. There was not a single sign that he was afraid or even nervous. The blonde smirked and pulled a kunai from his weapons pouch. It glowed a bright blue, as chakra began to surge through the grip and into the tip.

With a swing of the arm, the blade flew through a tiny opening in the wall of chains, a blue aura cutting through the air like it was butter. Naruto slammed his foot atop a chain and propelled himself forward into the swirling mass of chains. Across from him, Naruko rushed forward, a small rasengan, forming in her palm.

Among the mass of chains that seemed to be growing in numbers, Naruto came face to face with the deep brown eyes of Kazuya. With a roll, Naruto barely avoided getting his head taken off. Kazuya leaned forward and ran his forearm into Naruto's neck.

The ground was soft and mushy from the snow that collected. Naruto didn't dare lift his head, not with the threat of at least a thousand chains flying through the air. Where'd they come from anyway? Suddenly the ocean of chains parted as a dull blue glow tore through them.

Kazuya leapt back, avoiding the certain death that was a rasengan to the heart. Standing over Naruto's body, his sister held out a hand, which he gratefully accepted. The black haired chain-master was a good couple of feet away, summoning more chains from nowhere.

"What's the plan twin?" Naruto asked rising to his full height. His twin shrugged, a smirk on her face. A smirk too, appeared on Naruto's face, stretching from ear to ear. "Then let's fuck shit up!" The two twins disappeared in twin flashes of gold. Naruko reappeared above with another one of her summons. The quick and agile eagle summon Swift. It wove through the multiple chains that shot up at it like child's play.

Naruto himself reappeared along the ground, hands speeding through a set of seals. He then stuck his hand out, sparks of lightning bursting into life. " _Lightning Release: Omega Spear!_ " the blonde ran his hand along a wall. Far ahead, a bolt of lightning burst through and flew towards Kazuya in breakneck speed.

Under the bright sparks and loud roaring, Naruto kept running, his hands once again going through a set of seals. " _Fire Release: Triple Headed Dragon Missile!"_ He sucked in a breath and exhaled a giant plume of flames. It torched anything in its path.

" _Wind Release: Wind Gale Palm!"_

Above him, his twin set a tiny tornado upon his fire dragon. The flames grew even larger, engulfing the entirety of the city block. From the flames, he saw Kazuya blow through, his chains in a protecting sphere around him. A trio of chains spun in a corkscrew and formed a spear, flying towards Naruto.

The spear was flying towards Naruto at an unbelievable speed. It raced through the smoke, numerous other chains around it, deflecting and redirecting shuriken and kunai meant to lessen the speed of the spear. But it was too late. The spear would hit its mark.

Before Naruto would become impaled upon the spear, his sister appeared atop Swift and trampled the chain spear to the ground. But a look fear remained on Naruto's face. Multiple other spears were flying towards them, with the one in the center, being barbed and spinning even faster than the first.

Before either of them could react, the spears ripped through Naruto's body. Going through his shoulders, knees and thighs. The biggest one would have gone through his forehead. But then…

A flash of light cut the spear in half. Sinking to his feet, and slowly losing consciousness, Naruto turned to look at his saviour. Standing protectively in front of her sibling, Yuki-Hime drawn, red hair flying in the wind was Tsugumi.

"Hey bro." She shot him a smile over her shoulder. "Leave this asshole to me. You've got a promise to keep don't you?"

* * *

 _Senju Dr. Konoha_

 _7:05 p.m._

* * *

She ran across the rooftops, parallel to the giant beast floating above. She jumped, barely missing the fireball that scorched where she had been previously. A laugh escaped her lips. How long had they been playing this game of cat and mouse? Himiko didn't know and didn't care either way. Her hands were blurred, going through a set of seals. Looking up, the dragon was now on top of her.

" _Fire Release: Majestic Dragon Flash!_ " She took a breath in, and exhaled a giant plume of fire and brimstone that engulfed the entire dragon and rose high into the sky, torching the clouds themselves. Then she reached her hand out to a nearby wall, where a portal appeared. Himiko disappeared from within.

Another portal opened from above. Landing on top of the dragon, Himiko knelt, breathing heavily. She discarded her ruined jacket and threw it out in front of the dragon's maw. One puff of flames later, and the jacket was no more.

"What to do now?" her fingers were stained with blood, arms covered in crimson. A few burns were scattered around her body. Dragon fire was hot. But it was not the hottest she had felt. For her plan to work, she would need someone of something to distract the beast from her presence on his back. With a puff of smoke, three clones appeared at her side. They knew what they had to do without their creator having to say it. They leapt to any buildings that stayed standing.

As she stood and watched her clones distract the dragon, Himiko's hands clasped together, a visible orange-yellow aura surrounding her entire body. The dragon must have been really distracted as it paid no mind to gathering of energy upon its back. Marks began to appear on Himiko's pale, dirtied face. Both going from the bottom of her eyelids down to her chin. Her eyes remained closed, hair whipping around from an invisible force.

Tiny little bubbles of energy began to pop out from the surrounding area. Be it the beaten and destroyed ground, the wilted and dirty flowers, the hundreds of dead, injured, and fighting men in the city. All congregating at one spot. If the dragon wasn't so preoccupied with her clones, it would have noticed now. She unclasped her hands together and pressed her fingers against each other, a glowing white ball forming in the center. A low hum emitting from it.

Himiko grit her teeth, as blood began to flow from her fingertips, flowing down her arms, in bright crimson marks. Then she bit her lip, the blood dripping. It was a wonder how she stayed atop the dragons back with little trouble, as the dragon rampaged through the streets trying to get rid of the pests that were bothering him.

Across the city, she could see her twin fighting a giant chakra beast as well. A lion. She hoped he wouldn't have to resort to using the gates. Not unless he absolutely had to at least. The ball of energy now encompassed both hands now. Then it expanded to surround her entire body, lifting it up into the sky. _Just a little more!_ She shut her eyes tight, a glowing scarlet character appearing on her forehead.

At last her eyes opened. They were scarlet now, with the red eyeshadow that came with the sage mode. But this was not that. No. This was more. **Zen Mode**. The bubble burst and the dragon immediately turned its attention away from the clones and onto Himiko. The Crimson-Scaled Dragon roared and charged towards Himiko, flattening anything remaining in its path.

But Himiko disappeared at the moment of contact, reappearing above the dragon with ball of light in her hand. A flash of light later and the dragon had melted, nothing but a black gunk. But Himiko Namikaze knew that it wouldn't last long, the crimson scales floating back to the slowly reforming hunk of chakra.

Himiko's slowly and calmly watched, as she went through a series of seals. " _Earth Release: Gaia's Teats."_ As the dragon finally became whole, a giant earthen dome sprouted over it. But Himiko was not done yet. " _Earth Release: Mountains of Imprisonment!"_ Several huge, jagged rocks sprouted up from the surrounding area, forming an octagon around the dragon. Already the dome was cracking.

Normally, casting back-to-back A-Rank Jutsu would have worn her out, but with **Zen Mode**? It was as if she had an infinite supply of chakra. But alas, it is never that easy is it?

Soon enough the dome shattered into gigantic pieces, sending flying all over the city. " _Lightning Release: Storm's Chain!"_ 8 beams of lightning flew towards the dragon, keeping it in tow. " _Water Release: Oceans Wrath!_ " The mountains she had summoned, weren't just mountains in name, but were mountains for real. With tiny, tiny streams and small ponds that littered their surface. Small evergreens dotted their jagged slopes. From the streams, ponds and any nearby puddles, a huge blast of water came, drowning the dragon in high pressure water, and painful electrocution.

Himiko wouldn't have been surprised if the whole damn city could hear the beast roaring in pain. Leaping to the side, she narrowly avoided being torched to oblivion by a stream of focused dragon fire. Being singed by dragon fire hurt like hell. She did not want to know what being torched by it felt like.

With unbelievable speed for its size, the dragon wove through the city streets, breathing dragon fire into the air. Yet despite the speed at which it flew across the city, it could not keep up with Himiko. **Zen Mode** made sure of that. She could have toyed around with the dragon with her eyes closed, and still she would have come out alive. Such was the advantage of being one with everything. They could tell you all you needed to know. The vibrations of the ground, the sway of the wind…

Her eyes snapped open, as Himiko ran forward and to the top of a nearby wall, avoiding the collapsed wall at her back. Behind her, the giant dragon raged. In mid-air she turned to get a look at it. No emotion could be found in the beast's glowing lave eyes. It snorted, the puff of smoke vaporizing all it made contact with.

 **Zen Mode** did more than give her a near infinite reserve of Chakra and give her a way to know what was going on at all times. It also enhanced every single one of her physical abilities and senses. Hey eyes darted around, looking for weak points in the scales. _None. That I can see anyways. Maybe the wind can find a weak point…_ Closing her eyes, she listened to the wind, felt the wind, listened to how it flowed against the thick, fireproof scales, felt how it moved across the rough surface. Then… _There._

As quickly as she found it, a kunai was thrown, curved around the body of the beast, striking it were the neck met the body. That was where the scales were the weakest, allowing for more mobility. If that was the case, then the area where the arms and tail met would be weak points as well. One kunai would not do the job.

" _Wind Release: Gale of Tomorrow!"_ A powerful gust from the side blew the dragon into the side of the city walls. Gods, they've gotten this far? Himiko wondered just how much of the city she had destroyed. No matter, houses and streets could be rebuilt. It was time to take to end this. Time to end this farce.

* * *

 _Iron Flames District, Konoha_

 _7:04 p.m._

* * *

Kenji was tired. Tired of giving chase, tired of having to break the buildings that had housed the citizens of Konoha. And tired of fighting. Well, for now anyways. He shielded his eyes from a spray of earth and debris. Far ahead of him, Kage had gone rampant. Kenji did his best to contain him, but a beast that big and that fast would be hard to contain. Unless you were Arashi.

Since Kage had morphed into this lion, it became clearer to Kenji what had happened. That man at Ichiraku's, that evening he and Himiko had left, that was Kirei Uchiha for sure. Kenji hadn't made eye contact or even looked at him, but Himiko was sure that he felt his presence. And as Kirei's former apprentice, she would know.

That night, they had rushed to Kemuri as quick as possible, ignoring the fires in the surrounding forest below. Well, not really ignored, but rather…okay fine, they both ignored it, wanting to be home and get rest and to be with each other. But that undoubtedly caused their undoing.

But he would have to deal with that later. Somehow, after they left, someone came into the city and made contact with Kage and did something to him that turned him into…this. Someone would have to deal with that later. Now, all that mattered was knocking the bastard out cold.

A loud roar brought Kenji out of his stupor. Leaning back, a claw slashed the air where his face had been. Standing in front was Kage. Maw wide open, snarling. "Oh so now you decide to stop running." Kenji clenched his fists, knuckles popping.

The lion didn't respond, but rather charged at the Kenji. For a huge beast, it ran like a gazelle. Kenji leapt back, dodging another swipe to the face and responded with a quick kick to the side. Rushing forward, Kenji spun underneath a bite of the jaw and rammed his elbow into the lion's chest. As Kage leaned back, Kenji grabbed a hold of his mane and drove his foot into it, sending the beast flying.

At first the lion seemed gigantic, standing as tall as a house. But soon, Kenji would see that it was in his imagination. The lion was not as big as he thought it would be. Kenji dove forward, underneath the stomp of a foot. He quickly threw a kunai at the underbelly of the giant lion.

Now it was Kenji that was running. Or so Kage would have believed. If the other redhead had been conscious at the time. But he wasn't. Looking over his shoulder, Kenji could see the blurry form of the lion racing across the desolate rooftops. Then it disappeared in a burst of speed that Kenji hadn't seen before, before slamming into his side.

Kenji burst through a wall. Before he could right himself, the lion was already on top of him, his mane against Kenji's back. Once again Kenji found himself flying through the air. With a flip in the air, he stood atop a rooftop. Across from him, glaring with those charcoal black eyes, the Lion stood. A wide gap between.

A smirk found its way onto Kenji's face. It was then that they both disappeared, with the only sign that they were there being the tiles of the rooftop flying all over and a floor collapsing. Kenji cocked his fist back, and fast as he had cocked it, threw it. The lion seemed unprepared for the hit mid-jump and was knocked backward, its massive body crashing against a wall in a storm of dust.

He was nothing but a blur and a streak of red light, crashing into the beast like a red comet crashing into a planet. A huge depression in the earth was the effect. Standing at the edge, Kenji flew back, a giant black blur pressing against his body.

The grass of the hill was soft and wet. But Kenji had no time to dwell on that, as he leapt up, just barely avoiding being run over by a 50 ton black lion. Unfortunately however, Kenji botched the landing. Somehow. He didn't think about that either. Instead he ran. Not away, he wasn't retreating, rather falling back and taking a breather. If the thing was nice enough to give him one.

It wasn't. Kenji ducked, the individual strands of fur grazing his back. The one entrance and exit to the hill, was blocked by the prowling lion, piles upon piles of debris surrounded them, preventing another way of escape. "Get out of my way." Kenji said in a low growl. He didn't even stop running, instead he slid under the legs and ran a shuriken down the underbelly of the Lion. While it was distracted, Kenji ran into the nearest building and kicked a cabinet over, blocking the doorway. Not that it would stop the Lion. But at least it would slow the Lion down.

"This is getting out of hand. I need to stop him or it or whatever, now." Kenji muttered under his breath, making his way up to the top of the building. By the rumbling from downstairs, the Lion was already inside. Looking down over the edge, Kenji began to pump chakra into his arms. Well, more chakra anyways. With a loud rumble, the Lion ascended the steps.

A low growl, permeated the air. Turning his head over his shoulder, Kenji gave Kage-Lion a smirk. "I suppose you should know this before I knock you the fuck out eh?" His arms were no longer glowing red. Now a fiery blue flame covered his forearms. "If I used this technique during our spars, then I would have killed you for real you bastard."

" **Uzumaki Hidden Arts: Fists of the Gods!** "

* * *

 _Somewhere Underground, Konoha_

 _7:04 p.m._

* * *

Kazuma chewed on his apple slowly, staring at the sobbing, broken man sitting in the wooden chair in front of him. A putrid smelling puddle collected at the man's feet. Souta looked up at his interrogator hopelessly. Kazuma continued to munch away at his apple and then set it aside. A silence permeated the air. Sensing Souta's growing discomfort, Kazuma reached into his pouch, pulled out a dagger and threw at Souta. The dagger punched through the thin wood by Souta's head. Kazuma leaned forward a cruel smile on his face. "I have a feeling that you haven't told us everything Souta-san."

Souta flinched back, blood spraying from the where the dagger had grazed. "N-no…P-please! You have to believe me! I don't know anything! I…I swear!" He stuttered, blood squirting from his bloody mouth. He began to sob, but no tears would come out. Souta was convulsing as well, shaking the chair so hard, it almost seemed like it would break. Kazuma grimaced internally in disgust. But he held it in internally and replaced his blank face with a sadistic grin.

"No? Well…I believe you've met my…dagger before?" Kazuma violently ripped the dagger free of the chair, and brought it down to Souta's nether regions. The former bandit began to shake the chair even harder, his sobs echoing through the room. Kazuma shoved the dagger into the rags that were called Souta's shorts and twisted the dagger around roughly.

"I've told you everything! What else do I have to tell you!?" Souta shot back, poison dripping from his voice, snapping his head up to glare hatefully at Kazuma. His head reared back in a spray of blood. Kazuma brought his hand back down to his side. He walked over behind Souta and lifted his head up by the hair and held the dagger against Souta's throat and growled into his ear in a low menacing voice.

"Well for starters: Tell us who your employer is. Or rather was. Hurry up. My dagger is hungry." Kazuma lightly pressed the dagger against Souta's throat so that a touch of blood began to drip down Souta's dirty throat. Feeling blood dripping down his skin, Souta began to panic, arching his body, wringing his arms against the metal cuffs that kept him pin. If his arms and legs weren't chained down, they would've been flailing about, making Kazuma's job a whole lot tougher than it had to be.

Souta began to sound something out. "H-he never told us h-his name!" he squeaked, struggling to breathe, as he continued to struggle fruitlessly. "I don't know who he is!" Kazuma frowned, knowing this already. But of course it wouldn't hurt to confirm it. The Namikaze leaned in and tore a chunk of Souta's ear off, spitting it off to the side.

"Then describe him!" Kazuma bellowed, yanking Souta's overgrown hair back hard. So hard that the former bandit bit his tongue and spurted more blood everywhere. Kazuma was beginning to tire of this. The sooner that he got through with this sorry excuse for a man, the sooner he could be back up top, fighting the enemy that would dare attack his home.

Souta began to sputter strings of words that seemed to form a coherent sentence. His sobs were becoming worse, making it unbearably hard to understand the bastard. "He…was tall, had…b-black hair, p-pale s-skin, and creepy a-ass eyes…Ah!" Oh how _good_ that description was. Why, it's like we has describing every single fucking Uchiha!

"That's not very helpful. But it will do." Kazuma turned his to the side to look at his Anko, who was leaning back against a wall, clipboard in hand "You got all that down Anko?" She nodded and left the room as possible, not wanting to see what would happen next.

"Good. Now that she's gone, we can finally begin the real interrogation. I don't think even she'd want to see what I'm about to do next." Kazuma walked around and leaned against the solitary table. His mouth pressed into a thin line. Souta's eyes were red and wide and he began to panic. Well, panic even more.

"Oh god! P-please! Save me! I've told you everything I know!" He began to shout at the other members of T&I, peering in through a window. Ibiki nodded and mouthed ' _Begin.'_. Kazuma smiled cruelly and lifted Souta up by the throat roughly, ripping him free of his binds.

"Oh I know."

"T-then why!?" Souta struggled to say through the immense pressure of Kazuma's hand around his throat. He flailed around, trying to kick Kazuma in the side. Kazuma simply smiled, not even feeling Souta's limp legs hitting him in the side. Kazuma lowered Souta down so that they were on the same level, and whispered in his ear.

"Because I'm getting tired of playing this game."

Souta screamed louder than anything he had done before, a black character appearing on his forehead, multiple black marks running down his face, eyes turning white. Kazuma's grip loosened as he stepped back. A black energy kept Souta floating in the air. The black mark soon spread to his entire head and face. His screams became something inhuman, something more akin to the dragon and lion above. Kazuma closed his own eyes, shutting himself off from the world.

When he opened his eyes he was in a purple void, with hundreds of doors all around him. As far as the eye could see. Doors. Doors everywhere. Kazuma walked in front of the first door. A metal plate with _#1_ etched on. The Namikaze ran a hand across the steel before turning away. "Tch. Nothing in that one. See Inoichi? If it were you doing this, we'd be here forever. Or dead."

Kazuma would go through hundreds upon hundreds of doors when he came upon it. The door was not oak wood like the rest, but rather made of a mysterious purple metal that felt like ice. It was also larger. Nearly 10 times as large. Kazuma laid a hand on it, closed his eyes. "…Finally. Now then. Let's see what secrets they had to hide from you."

 _Souta walked down rows upon rows of tents. His men lay about, not really doing their duty. His men paid him little attention. Not that he could blame them. Walking beside him, was a man with spiky black hair and pale skin. Locks of hair falling in front of his eyes. The man turned and shot Souta look, demonic red irises peeking through strands of hair. He titled his head as they walked._

" _My offer still stands." A shiver shot through Souta's spine. Everything about the man scared the shit out of him. Those eyes especially. Those demonic looking eyes that ripped into your soul, looking for all the sins you've committed. Souta turned his gaze back down the camp walkway. They made a sharp left turn into Souta's command tent._

 _The bandit leader sat in his chair, folded his arms and shot the man a look. "Tell me, why should I accept?" He leaned back in his chair, reached back into his mini fridge and brought a can. He took several gulps of the drink before continuing. "Accepting would be suicide. It would mean death for me, my men and everything I have worked for." The man chuckled._

" _Hmmm." He leaned his head back before leveling his gaze at Souta. Another shiver coursed through his body. "Why should you accept? Well…Let's just say that there things worse than death out there." …Like me. Words that did not need to be said. Souta resisted the urge to have this man escorted away and killed. But of course that could only result in something bad happening._

 _Souta laughed, unease in his voice. The man had a malicious smile forming on his lips "That's not going to make me accept…" Then the man's smirk disappeared, as he lunged forward over the desk, lifted Souta up by his shirt collar and raised him to eye level. The man's eyes were no longer a blood red. The entirety was black, with a golden star in the center. A wave of foreign energy coursed through Souta's body. Souta's body fell limp, eyes blank, jaw slack and wide open._

" _How about this?"_

 _The man stepped back, a satisfied smile on his face. He walked over to the side of the tent and picked up one of the many small wooden chests that lined Souta's tent. Gold from within shone against the rays of the sun that cut through into the tent. "You will guard this chest as if it was worth your life. You will make all who want it, believe it is worth something. That it is more than it seems."_

" _What…What is….What is inside….Master?"_

" _Nothing really worth anything. But not to you. To you. It is worth your life. If it is captured…" He laughed, a shiver went down Souta's spine. "Then you can say goodbye to all the good fortunes you have. You can pray to all of your gods, you can confess all of your sins, but know this…We will come for you." He would say no more and left, eyes now back to a crimson red._

 _Souta remained motionless, staring at nothing. He came to, after a good 10 minutes. He shook his head. What happened? Why did he black out? He then turned his head and came upon a wooden chest. The bandit frowned, running a hand along the sides of the chest. He wanted to open it, but something…there was something about the chest. He had to guard it. Why, he didn't know. Something was compelling him to guard it._

" _Guards!"_

Kazuma opened his eyes. The floating Souta fell unceremoniously into the chair like a sack of potatoes. There were no signs of life in those eyes. Nor could Kazuma hear his heart beating. So that was why he had been ripped free from the technique so suddenly. Whoever had put that seal into Souta's mind, that man in the memory, had made it so that Souta would die, the moment his secret was out. But that chest…

He burst out of the interrogation room as fast as possible, he had to find Arashi. Find him and tell him that there was an Akuma Catalyst out there.

* * *

 _Fireborn District, Konoha_

 _7:15 p.m._

* * *

The shaking of the earth had become so intense that her brother had finally woken up. He slowly sat up, tilted his head to the side, dodging a chain. He shot Naruko a look. Naruko smirked and smacked him playfully in the shoulder.

"You're awake."

"Ugh. So I am." He stood up, using the nearby wall as a support. Her twin squinted his eyes, and turned his head towards the action. A familiar shock of red hair twirling around a flash of white. Multiple chains flying around her, as if they didn't want to hit her. Kazuya stood atop a roof, nursing a bleeding shoulder. "Is that…Tsugumi?"

"Yeah. You'd be dead if it weren't for her." Naruko offered Naruto her hand, which he accepted reluctantly. He still looked a little disgruntled and moved a hand to his side, feeling for a scar. Naruko jumped up to a roof and began to move closer to action. Down below, Naruto followed as best as he could, leaping from rock to rock, juking chains that appeared from nowhere.

She stopped atop of a house a couple of meters away from the action. Naruto leapt up to the top of the roof and called out to her. "But isn't she supposed to be with Mom?" Naruko shrugged. Does it really matter? Keeping Tsugumi chained, away from the action, didn't seem that good of an idea to her. Tsugumi was the best swordswoman in the entire village, trained by the best swordsmen and women that Uzu had to offer. So there was really no use worrying about her safety.

"Yeah. But that doesn't matter." Naruto nodded reluctantly, ducking underneath a piece of wood that would have cut his head in half. Naruko grabbed her twins shoulder and pulled him in and pointed to the two girls who lay unconscious among the storm of chains.

"Alright, do you still want to save Kisara and Yukihara or not? Because this could be our last chance." Naruto looked a little uncertain of what he should do. Naruko thought he would have jumped on the idea immediately. But he didn't. And that surprised her. Was he really going to think about going against a promise of his? It was unheard of for a Namikaze or an Uzumaki to do that.

Naruko was starting to become annoyed. She lifted her arm pointed out the two unconscious girls. "Look, Tsugumi's keeping Kazuya distracted, we can go in quickly and grab them." Naruto nodded his face scrunching up.

"Shit. They're still knocked out? Damn. Did we hit them that hard?" Naruko sighed exasperatedly.

"Yes we did. Now let's go! Hurry!" Naruto said no more, disappearing in a flash of yellow and red. She herself dashed down towards Yukihara, darting around hundreds of chains that would have gutted her like a pig. She grabbed the ruined fabric of Yukihara's shirt and gingerly picked her up over her own shoulder.

A massive explosion rocked the entire city. A surge of energy rushed through the streets. Naruko turned her head up to the sky, seeing a figure falling through the sky like a meteor. Only then did she realize who that was.

"What is he thinking using all 8 Gates!?"

* * *

 _Central District, Konoha_

 _7:16 p.m._

"Fuck…" Arashi stood back and watched as Hisami peeled himself off of the concrete, and slowly rose to his full height. He shot Arashi a cocky glare and unleashed a barrage of black arrows at him. The Golden Boy disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing behind Hisami. The enemy turned his head over his shoulder a snarl on his face.

Arashi noticed the hundred or so shadow tendrils that were nipping at his heels. But they wouldn't catch him. He narrowed his eyes and focused on a spot to the right of Hisami and teleported there. An arrow flew by Arashi's head, yet he paid it no mind, rushing towards Hisami who leapt back. _Out of range._ Arashi lowered his arm, the chakra slowly dissipating from his palm. Hisami, Arashi could tell, was beginning to feel the effects of fatigue. He was slouched over, breathing heavily, with sweat running down his nearly white skin. Despite knowing what Hisami would say, Arashi decided to give it another try and opened his mouth.

"My offer still stands. Surrender and lay down your arms and you will go a free man. Continue to fight and you will die."

Hisami scoffed, and sent a barrage of Chakra weapons towards Arashi. But he must have been really tired for all but one of them to comepletely miss. The one that got even remotely close, Arashi plucked out of the sky with his hand. "Heh. I'd rather die than having the shame of losing to a goodie two-shoes like you and being given his pity."

"Are you sure about that?" Arashi tilted his head to side, dodging a chakra arrow by mere inches.

"Oh I'm pretty fucking sure." Hisami snarled, barely managing to keep his balance. "I'm also pretty sure that I'm not going to lose this fight. Not against the Golden Boy."

"And why is that?"

Hisami smirked cockily, He knelt down, trying to make it like a move and not because he couldn't help but kneel down to lessen the fatigue he felt. An army of shadow warriors forming behind him. "Because it's time for the shadows to take the spotlight."

"The Darkness never wins. You should know that by now." Hisami's face had lost any semblance colour left, his eyes became as black as the shadows he controlled. His breaths came quick and sharp, ragged as if he had been fighting not for an hour, but for an entire day.

"Then come. Come. Come and show me, the power of the light."

Arashi's eyes glinted, and a seldom seen smile appeared on his face. He felt his chakra flowing through him more freely than before, as he deactivated some of the seals that held his power back, "As you wish." The ground began to vibrate. Arashi disappeared again in a flash of golden so intense that they vaporized the buildings in the surrounding area.

Hisami's eyes darted all around, spotting the occasional golden flash of light reappearing. But it was gone as soon as he saw it. "You sure you wanna play this game bitch!?" He slammed his hands into the ground, unleashing a wave of Black Chakra. An equally massive wave of light crashed against it, forcing it back.

Within the light and darkness, Arashi reappeared and flung a single tri-pronged kunai at Hisami. In his fatigue and rage, Hisami caught the kunai, he winced slightly, feeling the sting of the blade against his skin. "Nice try! But you're gonna have to do better than…"

An explosion blew him back, as the kunai exploded in his hand. Arashi reappeared behind Hisami and slammed a rasengan into Hisami's back. Another explosion. Through the fire and smoke, Arashi spotted thousands of upon thousands of Black Chakra weapons. Arashi narrowed his eyes, and a he disappeared once more, in a golden flash of light.

"Running away again huh! That's all you're good at!" Hisami looked up, spotting a golden light in the sky. He leapt back, barely avoiding a massive golden comet. "What the fuck?"

Standing in the center of the crater was a figure coated in a golden glow. Arashi. He was there for only a second and then he was gone again. Arashi reappeared behind Hisami and quickly delivered a jab to the small of his back. Hisami turned around and blocked his next strike, and tried to counter-attack with a low kick to the knee. But his foot went through Arashi like he was a ghost.

Arashi ducked under a swing of the elbow and thrusted his fist into Hisami's gut. The Beast Tamer growled and raised his hand, a black spear materializing from thin air. Then, the spear began to dissipate into the air, as Hisami let out a scream. Arashi stepped back, a glowing white seal present on his side.

"What…What the fuck did you do!?" Hisami roared, clutching his left side. He raised his arms and tried to unleash a barrage of Chakra arrows. Only for the Chakra to dissipate into the air, as the seal on his side burned brighter.

The Namikaze smirked as he walked around Hisami in circles. "Oh nothing really. Just placed a special little seal I cooked up just for you." Hisami lunged at nothing, Arashi sidestepping the attack, "What does it do? Well…Should you try to use that cursed wonderful Black Chakra of yours…Then say hello to that burning feeling in your side."

"Fuck you. This is nothing. Tch. You think burning me is gonna stop me from using my techniques? Fuck you."

"Oh I didn't say that did I? It's more than that you see. Should you ignore the burning sensation in your side, then you will slowly die." Arashi twirled around, dodging twin shadow snakes. "First your Chakra Coils will shrivel up and turn into embers. Then you blood will boil and evaporate into the sky. And finally your body will erupt in a fiery explosion. Reminiscent of a volcano if you wish to have a visual."

"Whatever. Then I'll just kill you before I die." Hisami was now on his knees, clutching his side with both arms now. "Fuck! I'll get you. I'll fucking burn you alive and then…Then you'll know what this fucking feels like!"

"Trust me. He does." Hisami sharply turned his head and got a boot to the face. Standing beside him, was an Anbu in a falcon Helmet. The facemask retracted revealing the girl's sweat covered face, her green eye's shining with mischief. "What do you wanna do with him boss?" Two more Anbu dropped down beside her, one with a shark helm and the other in a lion helmet.

Arashi smiled. "Nothing. We are to leave him alive."

"Really sir? But you just said that…" Lion began, but Falcon cut him off.

"Arashi-sama was fucking around with the HVT here. Why don't you and Shark secure the perimeter?" The others simply nodded and disappeared in flashes of light. Falcon turned and took her helmet off. "I suppose I don't have to tell you that the cavalry has arrived do I?"

"Those were your orders Riku. So unless you want Natsumi to take disciplinary action with you…" She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Fine. Arashi-Sama. Falcon reporting. Anbu Elite Squads 1,2,3,4, and 5 have returned to the village."

"Is that all?"

"That should be all Arashi-sama."

Arashi nodded in approval. "Good. Go back to your squad and reinforce Konoha forces in the Burning Star District."

"What about the HVT sir?"

Arashi shot a look at Hisami, gripped his shirt collar and lifted the unconscious man onto his shoulder. "I'll take him to somewhere safe."

* * *

 _Iron Flames District, Konoha_

 _7:14 p.m._

* * *

Kenji was nothing but a blur as he landed hit after hit on the Lion. Though it didn't seem to feel any of hits at all. Shrugged them all off like they were nothing. Like a kid would brush of mud. Kenji darted around dodging a swipe of the claw and retaliated with an uppercut to the beast's underside. It stumbled a bit and Kenji followed up quickly with a kick to one of the Lion's front legs. He ducked to the side and drove his elbow up into the lion before rolling over to side.

The Lion roared and charged at him, flattening Kenji against a wall. Kenji slid down the wall, and rocketed forward, avoiding being crushed along with the wall itself. He ran underneath the beast and as he ran by one of the hind legs, kicked its ankle, making the lion buckle. Kenji dove forward, not wanting to be crushed by the Lion's giant body. In one quick movement he rose and delivered a quick series of jabs at the Lion's backside.

The redhead took several steps back, before ducking underneath a swing of the Lion's outrageously long arms. He then charged forward put slammed his body against the lion, forcing his entire weight upon its massive body. Kenji leapt back once again, and as soon as his feet landed, propelled himself forward, driving his body into the lion's. The two of them crashed into one of the nearby buildings. The elevated terrain they were on previously collapsed like a house made of toothpicks.

Kenji turned his head to look at Kage-Lion. Bad idea. The lion slammed his claws against Kenji's face, sending flying from the building and into one of the many craters littering the city streets. He lifted his head up from the crater and felt his face. Relatively fine. With a roll to the side, Kenji just barely avoided being flattened like a pancake once again.

Kenji stood up, tilted his upper body and let the Lion's arm harmlessly fly by. He then spun around and slammed his fist into the side of the Lion. Its roar was so loud and ear shattering that blew apart any building within a ten Km radius. Kenji grinned and slammed his head against the Lion's. He felt a ringing in his ears, but otherwise, Kenji was perfectly fine.

He wasn't sure if the Lion even felt pain or felt fatigue. He hoped it did. This had been going on for far too long. He had gone so far as to use one of his best techniques. **The Fist of the Gods**. His increase strength, and speed did little to help him against Kage. He didn't think he would be forced this far.

" _ **GATE OF OPENING: OPEN!"**_

* * *

 _Kemuri City_

 _7:15 p.m._

* * *

The Tyrant of Smoke walked slowly through her garden. Though this time, there would be no assassins coming for her head. Hopefully. Walking beside her, Shirome sucked on her lollipop happily, her snow white hair shining in the moonlight. Behind them, Kei trudged along, hands stuffed in his pockets, katana slung along his back.

"Where are we going mistress?" Shirome's sweet innocent voice rang out in the empty garden. Rika smiled offered Shirome a new treat. The albino squealed shoved the candy into her mouth. "You still haven't answered my question."

"You shouldn't speak with your mouth full, Shiro-chan." Rika ruffled her hair. "But to answer your question, we are going to go on an adventure."

"Ooh! Adventures! I love Adventures! To where!?"

"We're going to the land of Iron and visit Kei's brothers and sisters." That was if the Coloured Swords were still together. Chances of that weren't likely. The Red and Golden Swords were god knows where, the Purple Sword was known to have connections with the Cult of the Snake God and the Black Sword hated Kei. Or according to Kei, the Black Sword hated all of them. So the chances of her joining their cause was slim to none.

Shirome turned and shot her fellow snow haired guard a smile. "What are they like?" Kei looked up.

' _Don't remember. Besides…they've probably changed a lot since then._ He signed before stuffing his hands into his pockets once more. Kei turned his gaze to Rika and urged her to go faster.

"We should hurry. Before any assassins find out I'm gone. Either them or the rebels."

"Yay! We're going on a trip! Going on a trip! Going on a trip!"

* * *

 **(Lapis Lazuli-Arslan Senki OP1)**


	9. The Fire is Lit

**(Heavenly Blue- OP1)**

* * *

 _Konoha_

 _7:15 p.m._

* * *

" **GATE OF OPENING! OPEN!"**

A surge of power coursed through Kenji's body. He charged forward and slammed his entire weight into the Lion's body and pushed him back. His enhanced strength forcing his opponent back and back. Kenji's muscled hardly felt the burn that came with opening the first gate. He hoped that he wouldn't have to go any farther than the third or fourth gate.

Kenji's fists were still coated with the energy of **the Fist of the Gods** , enhancing his the power behind his strikes. His blows were so powerful, that with each jab, each punch, caused shockwaves powerful enough the make buildings collapse, miles away. Yet Kenji felt that it still wasn't enough.

The lion roared and began to push back against Kenji. Kenji gritted his teeth and dug his feet into the ground. But it wasn't enough. The lion threw him back against a wall, and once again the Lion rammed him through it. Kage stopped at the edge of a crater, looming over Kenji.

Kenji rose to his full height, turned his head, and spat a mouthful of blood at the ground, a grin on his bloody face. He clenched his right hand and rolled his neck. He hadn't had this fun of a fight in years. Not since Arashi refused to take him seriously. He spread his legs, shoulder width apart, and raised his arms. Kenji's eyes narrowed, and flared a demonic orange. His grin grew wide and bared his teeth.

" **GATE OF HEALING! OPEN!"**

Another rush, ran through Kenji's body. His veins became more and more visible, skin flushing a touch of red. His already immense strength increase to unbelievable heights. The subtle throbbing in his brain signified the opening of the gate. But not only did it raise his strength beyond his normal limits, it reenergized him. But Kenji knew that should he go above the fourth gate, he would have to activate his counter technique to assure that the Gates wouldn't destroy his body.

In a rush of adrenaline, Kenji leapt forward and flung himself at Kage. Whilst in midair, Kenji contorted his body, dodging a blast of black energy. With wide eyes Kenji turned his gaze to the giant Black lion, only a short distance away, a black energy ball forming in his mouth. _What the fuck! How come he's only using that now!?_ Kenji grit his teeth and rocketed towards Kage at break-neck speed, slamming his fist into the giant Lion's gut. One disadvantage, or advantage in Kenji's case, of being that big, was that there was a lot more surface area that could be hit.

Kenji was a little irritated. He hated the silence of the fight, filled only with sounds of their blows smashing against each other, and occasional grunts, or roars. His ability to get into his opponents head was valuable to his style of fighting. It got them angry, and when you're angry, you're sloppy and distracted. Things that don't bode well in a fight. But the Lion didn't react at all to anything that Kenji said. Either it didn't understand, or it didn't care. If this was Kage he had been fighting, Kage's skin would be red with rage and steam would be visible from his ears.

But then again, if this was Kage he was fighting, then he would already be unconscious at least. Kenji just seriously hoped that he wouldn't have to go beyond the fourth gate. Hell, he hoped he wouldn't have to even use the gates at all! A sound of frustration escaped Kenji's lips.

The **Gate of Healing's** reenergizing effect on him had worn off. Kenji jumped from side to side before delivering a quick flip kick to the Lion's big snout. He pushed himself on top its giant mane. Before Kenji could inflict any damage, he thrown off and crashed violently into one of the few buildings that remained standing.

He groaned and stood up, leaning against the remnants of a wall. Far off in the distance, atop a pile of rubble, loomed the Kage-Lion. "Fucking hell. How much more serious do I have to get?" Kenji dropped down to one knee and crossed his arms. His already flushed skin turned a crimson colour, and massive burst of power surged through Kenji's body.

" **GATE OF LIFE! OPEN!"**

As soon as he activated the gate, the Lion was upon him, crashing its massive body against Kenji and causing a giant depression in the earth to form. The Lion leaped back afterwards, standing at the edge of the crater that he had just created. In the center, Kenji lay on the ground, staring up at the sky.

"Fuck. My. Life!" He rolled over and avoided being stomped to death, and sprung up back into action, thrusting his leg into the Lion's side at such speed that a sonic boom followed afterwards. Kenji grit his teeth and charged forward, ignoring the throbbing pain in his leg. Despite sending the lion flying once more, Kenji knew that his kick did little, if any damage at all. With a sigh of frustration, Kenji rolled, dodging a potential rebar to the brain.

As soon as he stood up, the lion was upon him, claws raised. Kenji sighed and rolled again underneath, and away from the Lion's giant paws. A growl of anger escaped from Kenji's lips as he tore up a chunk of the ground and threw it. Not that he was expecting to do much damage if any at all.

Whilst his predator was distracted, Kenji slinked away to outside of the village, to avoid destroying more of the city that he loved. Nipping at his heels, was Kage-Lion. _Tch. Yes. Follow me like a sheep rather than a lion, you motherfucker._

Soon, Kenji reached a relatively large and clear area. A couple of tree's dotted the perimeter and a stream cut the clearing in half. A perfect area for fighting if Kenji had to say so himself. The moment he stepped on the field, Kage slammed into him and sent Kenji flying across the clearing. "Fuck!"

After crashing into a couple of trees, Kenji stood up to his full height. He rolled his neck and clenched his fists. He was getting fucking pissed off. And it was clear that Kage wasn't getting tired or feeling any pain. Well, as of yet anyways. Kenji's eyes narrowed as he focused chakra onto his spinal cord. This was the last gate he wanted to open.

" **GATE OF PAIN! OPEN!"**

Kenji grit his teeth, as a visible aura appeared around his body. He hoped that he wouldn't have to go farther than this. And the gate lived up to its name. As far as Kenji knew, using the **Gate of Pain** guaranteed muscle tearing. But Kenji felt that it was...not worth it, having to use this gate.

He disappeared in a flash of red and dropkicked Kage across the field and sent him flying through the forest and away from Konoha and the field. Kenji bit his lip, as he felt his leg muscles start to tear, but he forced himself to go faster. He planted his legs into the ground and pushed up. Kenji leaped up high and far, smashing into Kage like a shooting star. The force of his landing was so powerful that a giant depression appeared.

Kenji landed multiple hits within the blink of an eye. He leapt back, and charged again, not willing to give Kage any semblance of rest at all. Striking Kage's underbelly, snout and legs. _I'm not fucking done yet._ Kenji leapt back, avoiding wild slash from Kage.

" **GATE OF LIMIT! OPEN!"**

A burning pain coursed through his body, as he once again disappeared in a blur. A kick to knee. Elbow to snout. Multiple strikes to the body. Duck under a sloppy and careless slash at nothing. Then, an uppercut that sends the Lion flying through the air. Harsh and sharp breath's coursed through Kenji's body.

" **GATE OF VIEW! OPEN!** "

It took all of Kenji's self-control not to scream at the sharp stabbing pain in his stomach, which was definitely the 6th gate opening. Normally he would've used one of the many regenerative techniques that his mother came up with, but he didn't have time. A vortex of water from any nearby body of liquid formed around Kenji's body.

One second, he was on the ground. The next he was up in the air, driving his foot up into Kage's underbelly. His strikes became a blur and the aura around his body formed flames around his fists and legs. **Morning Peacock.** It could only be used once the 6th gate was open.

With one final downward kick, Kenji sent Kage crashing down to the earth like a meteor. Whilst still in the air Kenji took a deep breath and whispered. " **Gate of Wonder. Open.** " The water vortex around him vanished and in its place was a glowing green aura, which was his sweat evaporating at an insane pace.

Kenji began to corkscrew, down to the earth. Going faster, faster, and faster until he was nothing but a glowing green comet in the air. He cut through the air so fast that a trail of fire followed. _What should I call this move? The Green Comet? The Comet of Death?_

The pain was nearly unbearable. He had only opened the 7th gate once before and he didn't remember it hurting this much. His muscle fibers were being torn to shreds and if he survived this, which Kenji would, then he would be immobile and unable to move for at least a week or so. If it was normal treatment. " _Take this you motherfucker!_ _ **LIONSBANE!**_ "

Soon afterwards, he crashed into the ground like a comet smashing into the landscape. What followed was a massive explosion that dwarfed the entire forest, and reached the outskirts of Konoha. Kenji screamed, as he felt his muscles just rip itself apart.

Kenji lay in the center of the massive crater, unmoving and breathing heavily. He couldn't feel his legs. The sound of men moving in reached his arms. Even turning his head to look at those who had just arrived hurt.

"I knew you hated Kage, but I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to do what you just did." Slowly making his way towards him was Sojirou. His facemask retracted to the side. "Hell of a battle. Would've stepped in if it didn't look like you had things under control."

"You fucking…A-ass. You'd best...go…and seal away that fucking chakra away. Otherwise…it'll cause more damage."

"My men already on it. Stay still will you? Dolphin's gonna heal your injuries as best as she can, so that it'll be easier to move your fat ass. Try not to cry like a little bitch will you?"

"Go…fuck yourself."

"I have a girlfriend."

* * *

 _Central District, Konoha_

 _7:45 p.m._

* * *

When Arashi returned to the Hokage mansion, it was, as expected, in total chaos. The various commanders were running around like headless chickens, bombarding him stupid questions and generally making his job harder. He brushed them all off and made his way back up to the top where his protective seals were still placed. Tailing him, ever since they returned to Konoha, were Natsumi's Black Foxes. Lead by Riku, or Falcon.

They were Natsumi's own private little Anbu squad, and followed her orders, and her orders only. Which broke the tradition of Anbu only following the Hokage's orders. But Natsumi was one of the Hokage's daughters, and as such was trusted enough not to abuse her squad. A complaint, which Danzo had brought up. Everyone else shot the thought down, saying that Natsumi would never, ever do that. But Arashi was a cautious man and had recommended his fiancé's best friend, Riku Inuzuka. Now he had an inside man. Or rather, woman.

But Arashi was sure that Natsumi had found out about his little scheme now. And he pretty sure that she didn't care. Arashi was her brother after all. Her really cautious and paranoid brother, who was never too careful. And Natsumi was never one to get angry at her siblings.

"Arashi!" Speeding through the many offices, and rushing towards him, was Kazuma, who looked ragged and tired, bags under his eyes. "Arashi. The Catalyst…It was…It was never…never with the bandit's in the first place!" He seemed to be tired and needed a break. Arashi turned to Riku.

"Falcon, report in to Bear. I'll be up there in a second. Is that clear?" Arashi didn't even need to turn his head to know that Riku and her squad disappeared. "Now what's this about the Catalyst?"

Kazuma took a little while to explain things, what he saw in the bandit Souta's mind. About the how the chest that supposedly had an Akuma Catalyst was only a chest of gold or some other shit loot that the bandits thought could fetch a good price in the black market. But Arashi already had his suspicions about the so called bandits that had an Akuma catalyst. He had always been suspicious. If it was really an Akuma Catalyst, then Souta would've gone to have it appraised and would've known the value of the Catalyst and sold it off for millions of ryo.

All of that was good to know and all, but that had confirmed Arashi's suspicions. They needed a new lead. And they got one. Who was the other man? Kazuma described him as having short black hair and blood red eyes that seemed like they could see Kazuma. Despite the fact that it was in the past. According to Kazuma, he used a technique that could only be described as mind control. Arashi had never heard of such a technique before. Well, he had, but none fit that description. Other mind control techniques took a long time to prepare, and a long time to do. Yet what Kazuma described took only eye contact. Was it possible that this was Kirei Uchiha? Hair was easy to change, eyes however…Unless he created an entirely new Sharingan only technique. It couldn't have been him.

"I see. Return to the prisoner at once. See if you can get any more out of him." That clearly wasn't the answer that his older brother had been expecting. Kazuma's face turned red and he looked like he was about to yell at Arashi, but managed to reel his anger in. "Look. I understand that this a big problem. An even bigger threat to Konoha in the future. In the future. Right now, we have a more pressing matters to deal with. Once the dust clears, and father is back home, we will discuss this matter. But not now."

Arashi said no more and left his brother to fume. He could understand his brother's frustration. Kazuma had spent every day, trying to get something out of Souta, and the moment he did, Arashi brushed it off and said he would do it later. But Arashi knew that he was right. They were in a warzone currently.

Once up top Arashi made his way to Falcon and Bear, who were in the middle of a heated argument. Arashi was sure that fists would have been flying if he had been a moment too late. As soon as they saw Arashi, they separated, Falcon shoving Bear away harshly.

"I'm not going to ask what happen. Because frankly, I don't care." Arashi turned to Bear. "Give me a sitrep commander. What's the situation?" Bear saluted stiffly.

"Our forces have retaken Central, Fireborn, Green Ashes, Cinder, Phoenix Nest and the Iron Flames districts sir. The enemy is in control of Madara's Hill and Senju Dr. Hostiles have also breached Firebird District sir."

"Firebird District is safe. Tsugumi's there isn't she?" Bear shook his head. "What? Where is she?" Arashi had his suspicions.

"Right here!" A feminine voice called out jovially. Leaping onto the Mansion's balcony, was Tsugumi, a body chained up, and over her shoulder. Trailing behind her, were Naruto and Naruko, also lugging up a pair bodies. Tsugumi had a wide grin on her face, which was splattered with blood. Her clothes her littered with scarlet and Yuki-Hime was stained with crimson. And Arashi knew for certain that it was not her blood.

"Tsugumi. What are you doing here? And not in Firebird?" his twin shrugged and dropped the body unceremoniously. Arashi took a look at the body. His clothes were ripped to shreds, cuts all over his body. One particularly large cut ran across his chest and around to the middle of his back. If Arashi knew his twin well enough, which he did, then he was positively certain that she made that scar with one singular cut. "You were supposed to be in Firebird to help keep it safe."

"Well, you can't keep me chained up you know. Watching all that action made me a little hungry. Besides, Firebird is all the way in the back of the village. No way in hell are they gonna get even near it." Arashi shot her a cold look.

"Well they did. And you're going to go right back Firebird and you will clear it out. Are we clear on this dear sister?" Tsugumi grinned and saluted at him mockingly. Her bloodlust was clearly not yet satisfied. "Then go. And don't worry about your captive. I'll deal with him. Falcon, go with her, make sure she doesn't go overboard will you?"

"Yes sir."

After they left, Arashi turned his attention to his younger siblings. Naruto stood against the railing, a hand on his shoulder. His twin placed the two girls down against the railings. Naruko smiled at Arashi nervously.

"Hey there…big brother…"

"I'm assuming that these are the girls that Naruto made his promise to?" Naruto nodded. "And they were the ones that were attacking us. Were they not?"

"Against their will!" Naruto answered angrily, glaring at his brother, before grimacing in pain. "Listen. They're nice people and I'm positive that we can get them on our side. Wouldn't that be nice? Two bloodline users?"

"It would. But they aren't ninja. They aren't kunoichi. They are civilians who have taken up arms. They have no proper training, no discipline and no loyalty to Konoha. Konoha is not their home. Their home, while it may be a shithole, is Kemuri city."

"There's nothing for them there! They'll spend theire whole lives living a life of shit. Working for shit. They have no loyalty to Kemuri City either. It has done nothing for them. And how would you know if they had proper training or not?" Arashi laughed at how stupid his little brother could be sometimes.

"Convince me of their worth little brother. Tell me about them. Tell me what they're like, who what little interaction with them. Tell me. Why should we take them in, and not their comrades? Why should we give them asylum and give them a good life, when so many others are living lives that are even worse than theirs."

Naruto hesitated a little, looking uncomfortable. Arashi turned to Bear. "Why don't you go and check on the HVT. Report back after 10 minutes or so." He turned his attention back to Naruto. "You have ten minutes."

His little brother sighed before starting. "The girl with white hair is Yukihara. Her bloodline is Ice release. I didn't interact with her much, but from what Kisara told me, she's a total Tsundere. She's pretty good with her ice release and…she's…she could better at it though, with proper training."

"I didn't ask for that. But continue."

"The other girl is Kisara. She…She's a sweet girl who loves ramen, like me, like all of us, she's a very friendly, and honest and isn't afraid to be blunt and tell you the harsh truth." Arashi noticed the growing smile on Naruto's face. And he was sure that Naruko noticed it too, by the slightly pissed off look forming on her face. "Yukihara was never good with people, so Kisara had to take care of them when they were growing up, after their brother die…disappeared."

An amused smile crossed Arashi's face. "What's her bloodline?" Naruto's face flushed.

"She…she's a Crystal release user. And a really talented one too. I bet she could be a jonin if she had the proper training and…why are you smiling like that?" Naruto looked at him with a confused face.

"No reason. You haven't made me change my mind yet, but I'll consider giving them asylum in Konoha. Assuming that they don't cause any trouble here."

"They won't."

"You'd best make sure little brother. They're your responsibility, and if anything happens, you will be held responsible." Seconds after he said those words, Kisara began to stir. Her amber eyes blinking open.

"Well, you'd best get to it little brother. You have a lot of work to do."

* * *

 _Senju Dr. Konoha_

 _7: 15 p.m._

* * *

She was really tired. Using **Zen mode** really took a lot out of her. Himiko sat atop a crumbling rooftop, looking over the destruction that lay out in front of her. The fighting wasn't even over either. Flames had sprung up in Firebird District and an explosion appeared in White Phoenix District. A tired sigh escaped Himiko's lips. Across from her, that cursed Black Chakra drained finally drained, was Jin, pinned to a wall by multiple chains and kunai.

Himiko stood up and turned to the approaching Anbu squad lead by a Fox helmeted Anbu. There was only one person in Konoha who wore that helmet with that colour scheme. Natsumi's facemask split into 6 separate pieces and retracted back into the helmet, a grin on her face.

"It seems like we didn't even to come here!" Natsumi exclaimed spreading her arms out. Himiko didn't smile or even respond. "Well say something! Like, why didn't you get here sooner, or where were you? Nothing? Hmph!" Natsumi huffed with mock indignation. Afterwards she turned to her squad. "Alright guys, take…whoever that guy is back to T and I. Get him a room with Kazuma. Preferably a small room."

After they disappeared, Natsumi's grin faded. "You're worried about him aren't you?" Himiko felt her cheeks burn up and turn away. "Hehe. Don't deny it. Everyone knows your secret!" Natsumi sat down near the edge and watched as her squad unchain Jin from the wall and place a number of seals on him. She patted the area next to her for Himiko to sit. "Listen girl. You need to relax. Have fun. Take a day off from…all that shit you do at the fucking office! I mean you don't just look stressed out. You…" Natsumi trailed when she noticed Himiko's blank stare. "Oh…I forgot. Using **Zen** makes you really fucking depressed afterwards. Well, my advice still stands."

"I'm not depressed. Just tired." Himiko was sure that her sullen, monotone voice didn't help to convince her sister. "This was long fucking day. I need a coffee. Maybe even two. I also need a fucking vacation. But fuck all, if there's gonna be any fucking chance of that fucking happening."

Natsumi chuckled. "You must be really freaking tired. I don't think I've ever heard you swear so much. But yeah. You're right. There's no chance of us getting a vacation. Like at all. Even if you have a ton of vacation hours saved up. All this talk of war and all. If things come down to it, you think we'd win a war?"

"No." That was not the answer that Natsumi thought she would get. "Arashi is too cautious. Too paranoid. While that may sound good, he will never go on the offensive unless absolutely needed. Sure he may shore up the borders and go attack some minor villages in the countryside. But that's it. He's afraid that if he goes too far from Konoha, that it'll be attacked from the rear. That it'll be destroyed, because he wasn't there."

"True, but Arashi isn't the Commander in Chief. Yet anyways. Our Commander in Chief is still father. And as long as he is still Hokage, Arashi will have to listen to him. But you're right. There is such a thing as being too cautious. And Arashi knows that. He knows his weaknesses, he knows his flaws, sister. That's why he's called the Golden God of course."

"I know. I know that Arashi is already thinking about this war. And preparing and forging alliances and all. But it might be too late. Iwa has been planning for this war since Onoki died. They've been waiting for the perfect opportunity. And now they have it." Natsumi pulled her helmet off, and let her long crimson tresses free, as she watched the sun finally set. "Kumo and Kiri have both just come off of a costly rebellion. Suna is a joke and we are their only real threats. And even then, we're slowly collapsing."

"Tch. You can say that again. The old bastards who think they still have some semblance of power are getting angry. I think they actually want a war. Well, we knew Danzo has wanted to go out and destroy all of the other villages since time immemorial. And no one trusts the Uchiha's anymore. Not after the whole Obito and Kirei business. And then this shit happens. How long is it going to take to properly rebuild all this shit? A month? Maybe half that if Yamato is feeling it. But shit. We're going be to wasting a ton of money that could be used for supplies, rations, and other shit." Natsumi spat out, and leaned back. Far away, the flames in Firebird District had grown scarce and the sound of fighting remained only in Madara's Hill and parts of the outskirts. "Things are going to shit aren't they?"

Himiko laughed bitterly. "Haven't they always been fucking shit? I guess things became worse when it turned out Kirei-sensei wasn't the child of the prophecy."

"You know it's weird, you still call him Sensei, and even after all he's done to us. To you especially." Himiko shrugged. Kirei had confided in her many things, but not once, did he ever drop any hints that he was planning to betray them.

"I don't know. It's an old habit I guess." With a sigh, Natsumi flipped into a standing position and held out a hand. A hand that Himiko accepted.

"Enough moping around! Let's go back to Central. See all the shit that Tsugumi, no doubt got from Arashi for abandoning her post in Firebird."

"If she's still even there."

* * *

 _Firebird District, Konoha_

 _7: 15 p.m._

* * *

Tsugumi ran through the streets, laughing with glee as she cut apart anyone who got in her way. Behind her, struggling to follow her erratic movements, was that Anbu Squad that Arashi sent with her for stupid reason.

Four fools stepped in front of her, charging her all at the same time, thinking it would increase their odds of landing a hit on her. What fools they were. Tsugumi split the first man in half horizontally and then slashed the next one's throat with the backhand. She then brought the blade down diagonally and cut down the 3rd one. The fourth one stumbled on his own two left feet. Tsugumi spun around and jabbed Yuki-Hime into his skin lightly, and then did a pirouette around him. Then in an explosion of blood, his upper half fell from his legs. A torrent of blood swirling around her.

"Ah…nothing like tearing fools apart eh?" She whispered to herself. A roll of the neck. A click of the tongue, Tsugumi strolled forward and split crescent blade of energy that had been launched at her. "I know you're there! Whoever the fuck you are! Come out and I'll make sure to maim you slightly rather than a lot!"

And out of the shadows came a figure covered in a dark cloak, a plain looking sword in hand. The figure then launched towards her in a black blur. She was so fast that Tsugumi just barely raised Yuki-Hime in time to block it. The force of the blow, blew back the figures hood, revealing a woman's face, framed by hair as black as midnight. A grin present on her fair face.

"So you are as good as they say. The Blood Princess of Konoha." The woman walked around her, twirling her blade around lazily, a curious smile on her face. A storm of blades flew towards her, courtesy of Falcon and her squad. But the woman became a black blur, deflecting the blades. "Of course you've still got a long way to go."

Whatever she expected Tsugumi to do, Tsugumi didn't, as she lunged forward, jabbing at the mysterious woman. Tsugumi thought that she was on target. She was absolutely certain. Yet the blade only cut through the woman's torn cloak. Her laugh was starting to piss Tsugumi off.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tsugumi caught the glint of a blade flying through the air. As quick as she could, Tsugumi contorted her body and deflected the attack. She then swung her blade back around and slashed at the woman's legs. The woman blocked that it.

"Tch." Tsugumi stepped back, slowly, guard raised up. Her opponent was fast. And Tsugumi could tell that she was holding back. Like a ton. Tsugumi turned to Falcon. "Go and clear out the rest of the district. I'll handle this." Falcon nodded curtly and she and her squad promptly disappeared. The Blood Princess turned her attention back to the strange woman, who was analyzing her. Tsugumi levelled Yuki-Hime at the woman. "Now then. Shall we continue this dance?"

"If you want." Tsugumi blinked and the woman was in front of her. Eye's wide, Tsugumi ducked and took a swing at the woman's exposed side. With a clang, their swords met. The woman was in midair, and flipped over. As soon as she landed, she held her sword up near her cheek and parried Tsugumi's strike off to the side.

Whoever this woman was, she was fast. A fact that Tsugumi grudgingly accepted. A grin appeared on Tsugumi's face. A grin full of bloodlust. _Finally! I can cut lose!_ She disappeared with a trail of red. The woman followed her. Soon they were up on the roof's exchanging blows. The first exchange lasted a little over a second.

In that brief exchange Tsugumi knew she was outclassed. She was the best swordswoman in the Land of Fire and yet, she could barely keep up. It irked her that she had in fact given up some hits. Luckily, they were only flesh wounds. Nothing more. But still, Tsugumi did not expect that to happen.

She jumped back and whipped her blade to the side, parrying the woman's lunging downward slash. Then Tsugumi felt a blade pierce her shoulder. _What? How!?_ With a yell, Tsugumi rammed her foot into the woman's stomach and pushed her back. Tsugumi brought a hand up to her shoulder. _What just happened? She moved way too fucking fast._ Even thinking about that brought a sour taste into Tsugumi's mouth. But it was the truth. It was as true as night and day.

Tsugumi once again launched back into action, swinging Yuki-Hime in a wide arc. The woman blocked it. The mysterious woman whipped her blade backhanded across Tsugumi's chest. Though the Blood Princess managed to bring Yuki-Hime back in towards her chest and deflect the attack.

The woman whooped, as they traded blows with each other. Tsugumi grit her teeth and twirled around, slashing at the woman's exposed thighs. Of course her strikes were all blocked, deflected, or parried. Tsugumi let out a groan of frustration. The woman sprung forward smacking Tsugumi's open wrist with the flat of her blade. As soon as she did so, the woman swung up at Tsugumi's carotid artery. She stepped back slightly afterwards and jabbed at Tsugumi's chest. The tip of her katana pierced the fabric of Tsugumi's yukata. With Tsugumi's attention on the tip of the blade, the woman pulled back and disarmed Tsugumi, spun around, slammed her elbow into Tsugumi's stomach, flipped her katana into a reverse hold and held it up to Tsugumi's neck.

"I think this counts as a checkmate don't you think." Tsugumi felt a cold chill run down her spine. Her sword arm was trembling. She hadn't been disarmed in so long that it felt like she had been disarmed. Yet this bitch did it without even trying. But then again, Tsugumi didn't feel like going all out either. The woman chuckled and stepped back, sheathing her katana.

Tsugumi knelt down to pick up Yuki-Hime. When she looked back up, the mysterious woman was already gone. To her left, Falcon landed. "I lost." Tsugumi stated, looking at the direction she felt the woman's energy disappear to. Riku's facemask retracted.

"What? That woman beat you?" Tsugumi nodded. She felt calm, her bloodlust gone. "We have to go back to Central. Arashi needs to hear about this." That he did. Whoever that woman was, she was good. Very good. A smile creeped up onto Tsugumi's face. _I want a rematch. Very soon._

* * *

 _Central District, Konoha_

 _7:45 p.m._

* * *

To say that Kisara was panicked would be an understatement. When she woke up, she went in a frenzy, attacking Naruko when she her unconscious sister. Luckily for Naruto, he wouldn't have to do too much explaining, as Kisara reeled herself in. She breathed in and out heavily and looked Naruto in the eye.

"So what happens now?"

Naruto shrugged. He honestly tried his best to convince Arashi. And his brother said he would think about it. Which he would. But Naruto would have to try harder to convince his brother. Kisara waited patiently for his answer. "Well?"

"I don't know. We wait, I guess. Arashi said he would think about giving you guy's asylum in Konoha, and I gave my best pitch. But there would be a lot of opposition to the idea." Konoha tried their best not to take in refugees. Though of course, refugees came anyways. His mother for one, was a refugee when Uzu fell to Iwagakure control. So Naruto couldn't really say he was against Konoha accepting refugees.

They had moved the girls to the infirmary down in the lower floors. Kisara's shiny silver hair, had lost its sheen during the fighting and was disheveled and messy. Yukihara was still unconscious. "I see." Kisara pursed her lips and looked back at Naruto. "I'll try to think of something to say, that could convince your brother. But, I can't say that it will work. Like at all." Naruto nodded. "Okay. Um…could you leave us for a second?"

Once outside, Naruto sat down in the breakroom. He was sore all over and his spear wounds still stung. Naruko was in one of the spare bedrooms of the Hokage residence, sleeping. Though, their family never bothered to actually move in. Their mother citing it, as "not homely" enough. A cup of coffee was shoved in front of his face. "Thank you Akane-san."

Akane smiled at him, and sat down beside him. She was Arashi's fiancé and at first, she was a very quiet girl, and often only spoke to Arashi and her brother. Now…well she was still very quiet and often kept to herself, but at least Naruto could hold a proper conversation with her now. Not that it helped that he was only a toddler when her betrothal to Arashi was announced. And if he remembered correctly, Arashi was only 7 at the time.

Though it did help that Akane was very beautiful. Long auburn her that flowed down her back in long tresses. Her bright green eyes always had a look of curiosity in them. Her curvaceous body was often clothed by a simple sleeved dress. Her skin was a shade darker than Kage's but it was not tan. Naruto often wondered if she and Kage were even really siblings. Kage was hotheaded and sarcastic. Whereas Akane was kind and thoughtful.

"Are you tired?" Naruto shook his head. "Hehe. You know…it was sweet of you to try and save those girls you know." Naruto felt his cheeks heat up. "Though it might be futile."

"I know. But…I had to try at least, right?" Akane nodded and crossed her legs, and set her mug down.

"You did. But what are they to you? You spent only mere hours with them and you talk about them like they're your best friends. Tell me? Why do you feel so compelled?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I just feel like it's the right thing to do. Though, that could be said for everyone else. Saving them is the right thing to do, but I just feel like they need it more than everyone else. It's…it's just this gut feeling I have."

"Well, shinobi are supposed to trust their instincts are they not?" Naruto looked up, blinking. "Arashi always trusts his instincts more than is good for him. And look what it's done for him. Whatever your instincts say, trust it. Just…trust it, do that and I'll do my part."

"Your part?" Akane winked and stood up.

"Yep! Now I've gotta go and check on your brother. See how he's holding up and hope and that he hasn't absolutely dismantled the old geezers that call themselves councillors." And with that Akane disappeared leaving Naruto confused. A sigh escaped his lips.

Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder. "Mind if I…sit down" He nodded slowly. Sayoko walked around the edge and sat down on the sofa. Across the room Sasuke was filling up his coffee mug.

"When did you guys get here?" Sayoko shrugged and drunk from her mug. Naruto lowered his eyes and was about to slightly move away, when he caught Sasuke's death glare. He shot his best friend a pleading look. A look which Sasuke ignored, as he went out of the room.

Sayoko let a cough out. Naruto slowly turned his gaze back to her. "I hear that Kisara and Yukihara are here." Naruto nodded. Sayoko smiled, though Naruto could tell it was forced. "So what's going to happen to them?"

"I don't know. I'll try to convince Arashi to give them asylum in Konoha, and he said he's consider it." Naruto could hear her teeth grinding in anger. "So what have you guys done today?" he leant back and raised an eyebrow. Whatever he did, it must have worked, because Sayoko blushed heavily.

"W-well we didn't do m-much other than help evacuate the Uchiha district. Nothing much. Didn't even get to fight. I'm sure that's all that Shisui is gonna be talking about for the next few days. What about you?"

"Oh nothing much, got impaled by several spears, had to get my ass saved by Tsugumi, nothing too important." Probably not the right thing to say, as Sayoko exploded in anger.

"WHO!? WHO DID IT!? I'LL MURDER THEM!" She must have been too angry to notice how Yandere she went.

"I-it's nothing Sayoko! Calm down! Calm. Down." She was breathing heavily and didn't even react when Naruto put his hands on her shoulders. "Breathe. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Are you good now?" Sayoko nodded weakly, as she sunk into the couch, a deep red blush present on her cheeks.

An awkward silence developed between them as Naruto leaned back into his seat. He was so tired. Sayoko coughed again. "Hmm?"

Sayoko smiled nervously. "Um…listen…after the battle is over, maybe tomorrow…do you uh…want to go and uh….uh…" Her face was as red as the Uzumaki family hair. But Naruto knew what she was trying to say. She was asking him out on a date.

"Of course I'll go. You can tell me where you want to go later." Naruto's gaze momentarily shifted over to the wall, where no doubt his twin and Sasuke were eavesdropping from. "As long as it's somewhere, where eavesdropping isn't allowed."

"SHIT! RUN SASUKE RUN!"

"Wait! Don't pull so fucking hard!"

Sayoko giggled and Naruto smiled. This could be his chance. His last chance. Maybe after this "date" he could make Sayoko see the truth of it all. He didn't want to do it this way. At all. But he feared he would never get the chance to do it. But hey…maybe…just maybe…he could find fall in love with Sayoko as she wanted.

* * *

 _Somewhere_

 _A few days later_

* * *

He didn't expect Rika to pop up out of nowhere. Heck, Kazuto didn't even think she could find him. But, he knew better than to doubt the Tyrant of Smoke. So was he really surprised when she showed up? No. But he was surprised to see Kei and Shiro with her, rather than her ever watching dog Hayama.

"Hello Hikigaya-san!" Shiro lunged at him, attempting to permanently attach herself onto him like she did with everyone else. Kei held her back by the collar of her jacket. "Hey! Let me go!"

' _No. People are watching'_

He signed, not that Shiro even saw. Rika sighed and ordered them to their rooms. Rika looked the same as always. Except she looked more tired than usual. _Heh. Maybe the stress and the pressure of being the queen of shit is finally getting to her._ He propped one foot up onto one of the wooden struts the held up the table and chugged his beer and made Rika wait. Not a thing that one should do, if one values their life at all.

"Why are you here Rika? I told you to contact me only when shit hits the fan. And I don't think that it could ever get that bad." Rika sighed and swung her fair over her back. "So why are you here? Things couldn't possibly gotten that bad. Not unless _he's_ involved. But there's no cha-"

"It's about your brother."

Kazuto frowned and leaned over the table. "What about Kazuya? Last I heard he was throwing his life away for the resistance. A folly, considering they would never succeed."

"Not anymore. If anything he's dead now." As quick as lightning, Kazuto's blade was at Rika's throat. Rika gazed at him with amusement. "Don't worry. He's not dead yet. If your best friend's sisters do their job and beg Konoha, then they might spare him. If only for his bloodline."

"So he helped attack Konoha eh?" Kazuya never was too smart, but he always had Kagami and Kisara to look after him. "Did he still think I was dead?" He sheathed his sword, and moved his hand to his stomach and felt the sting from where he had been run through.

"Yes. As far as he knew, I killed you. But from what Kagami tells me, he had never once talked about you. Feeling that it was unnecessary to think about a dead person." Kazuto laughed. Did she think that hearing that hurt? No. Ever since she brought him back to life, he didn't feel anything.

"Why tell me?" Rika shrugged. Kazuto chuckled. "How's Shirome? You still spoiling her with too much treats?" The tyrant rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised she doesn't have diabetes yet."

"You know that's impossible. Her bloodline made sure of that."

"And how about our silent friend Kei? Still moody as all hell? Still looking for his bitch of a sister?"

Rika shrugged. "There were reports in Konoha that say she was there. Though of course no one would believe that. Her last sighting was in Iwagakure, where she supposedly got the Blue Hurricane to fall in love with her."

"Why is he still even searching for her? She hates him." Rika didn't respond. Instead she turned her head off to the side, looking through the glass of the inn. "You listening?" He became silent when she pulled out a red folder from…somewhere magical, if the glowing portal, was anything of importance. Printed across it, in ancient runes, was something he never wanted to see. _Protocol 4_.

"You can't be serious."

"Oh but I am. You know your part. You should know where the Blade of Demons lies now don't you? Once you are done, you are to report to me at once in my Winter Retreat." With that, the Tyrant left Kazuto to his own thoughts.

A grin formed on Kazuto's face. _I guess I'll finally be able to see you again eh Kurohara?_

* * *

 _The coast of Kiri, Border of Kumo_

 _3:41 a.m._

* * *

The night was dark. And Kiri barely had any lighthouses in this bay, save for the one further down river, where Kirei could barely make out the beam of light sweeping past every now and then. A perfect night for an attack. Far off in the distance he could see one of Kiri's 3 massive fleets, sitting there in the bay, like the ducks they were. Waiting to be allowed permission into Kumo.

It was the perfect opportunity to add some kindle to the fire. Though, there was already enough kindle to make a forest fire. But he was an Uchiha. He had fire in his blood. No. It was his blood. His blood was liquid fire. He allowed a smile to creep onto his face.

Kirei soon reached the waterline. If Suzuki's reports were correct, then this fleet in particular would be a threat to their operations. Especially if _Deathwater II_ was indeed as powerful as they say. Made entirely of Mizore Cedar. Just like its predecessor was. Hopefully it would be as strong as its predecessor.

There it was. At the edge of the caravan, it's many search lights roaming the Sea of Mist. A tiny bit of mist was already rolling in. " _Ninja Arts: Hidden Mist Jutsu._ The Mist's signature technique was quite easy to use. It was even easier to upgrade. The mist created was already abnormal, capable of blocking sensors and making it impossible to detect chakra, unless one had a dojutsu like the Sharingan or the Byakugan. But that was too tame, Kirei felt. And as such he took matters into his own hands and made the technique…better.

As the mist now fully enveloped the fleet, Kirei ran through a set of seals. More lights were now on. The lights pierced through the massive cloud of mist like a sword cutting through a pillow. They could probably tell that this was no ordinary mist. It couldn't have been. " _Water Release: Triton's cannon_. This technique he launched towards the Kumo border. And it seemed to have done the job, as he heard the sound of gears activating.

Soon afterward, a large chain rose out of the ocean floor and encircled the Fleet. Kirei could just imagine Kiri's outrage and anger at what was occurring. Surely this was the work of the war mongering Kumo shinobi was it not? With one last creak, the chain rose to its full height. Yet his cloud of mist still lingered, if not became even thicker and thicker. " _Fire Release: Eternal Fury_." A single green flame flew towards the mist.

Boom. The explosion rocked the surrounding landscape, as green flames surged through the waves, and into the forests. Green fire rose high into the sky as the screams of men and woman filled the night sky. Kirei continues forward towards his handiwork. The green flames continued to burn and burn, no matter how deep they submerged themselves, the poor Kiri sailor's continued to burn…burn…and burn.

Kirei turned his head and saw in the distance, a squad of boats from the Kumogakure side of the border. The Traitor of Konoha raised his left arm. " _Water Release: Neptune's Rage."_ Right as they arrived onto the scene, a vortex of water swallowed them up, like a whale would algae. Their screams too mixed in with the screams of the Kirigakure sailors.

A spark was now lit. And soon, a wildfire more dangerous than any other would sweep the land. And for the second time in his life, Kirei would be at the center of it all.

* * *

 **(Keep On Keeping On-Aldnoah. Zero OST)**


	10. Took ya long enough

**(The Hero-One Punch Man OP1)**

* * *

 _Uchiha District, Konoha_

 _6:23 p.m._

* * *

What time was it? Oh. It was still early. Sayoko rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed, and shook her head. Her hair was a mess. No! What would Naruto think!? That Sayoko didn't care about how she looked and that she just threw on whatever wasn't dirty!? No! She couldn't have that. Taking deep breaths, Sayoko stood up from her bed, and folded her blanket and set it atop the lone pillow. Strolling over to the window, Sayoko gazed out her window. Her charred window. Luckily, the Uchiha district didn't get damaged that much.

Sayoko slipped off her nightgown and grabbed a towel from one of the many dressers that littered her room. Honestly, Sayoko didn't know why there were so many dressers in her room. She was pretty sure that the pink one didn't even have anything in it.

The water felt warm against her skin. A shiver ran through her body, despite the heat of the shower. Sayoko ran a hand through her smooth skin. It wasn't like Naruko's which was littered with scars, bruises and burns. Sayoko's skin was spotless. Not a single scar or bruise anywhere to be seen. She made sure of that. A sigh of content escaped her lips, as Sayoko let her hair down. It wasn't as long as Naruko's, which reached her waist. Sayoko's reached slightly lower than her shoulders.

After a good 10 minutes in shower, Sayoko exited and looked at the clock. _What!? 7:30!?_ There was no way she spent an hour in the shower. No way. And then she realized that the clock was 1 hour early. She let out a sigh of relief. Sayoko then slipped on a strapless sapphire blue dress that stopped short of her knees. Sayoko began to apply make-up when the door creaked open.

Standing in the doorway, with his arms crossed was Sasuke, trying his best to look nonchalant. Sayoko sighed and shot a cold look at her twin, who only smirked at her before leaving. _Well, that was weird._ With another sigh, Sayoko, fastened her ponytail with a large lavender bow.

"Are you done now?" Sayoko rolled her eyes and kicked the wall, inciting a cry from Sasuke. "That's a yes!" She chuckled darkly and cracked her knuckles. It was good to Sasuke actually talking in full sentences instead of grunts and the occasional monosyllabic word.

Sasuke smirked at her from the stairs, as he slid down them. Sayoko sighed again. She hoped that this wasn't going to foreshadow what was going to happen. After all, Sasuke hung around Naruto a lot. Like, a lot. So, Sayoko sped downstairs as fast her tired feet would take her. As she reached the dining room, she checked the time. _7?_ Sasuke must have caught her looking at the clock.

"I have a mission today. You as well right?" Sayoko glared at Sasuke. "After all, you are dressed for some occasion…" Her twin ducked as Sayoko swung hard at him, the frills of her dress flying in the air, necklace jingling against her collarbone. When she looked up, Sayoko saw Sasuke smiling. If that small curve of the mouth could be called a smile. "So what's today's meal?" He asked, moving to retrieve his meal which had finished heating up.

"Well, I was thinking about going to Hashirama's Garden, I hear they serve really good Sukiyaki there. If you're early enough, they usually run out by 3 or 4 in afternoon. N-not that I'd know from experience or anything. It's just that Naruko's been telling me all about the place." Sasuke nodded, unconvinced and continued eating.

"After that I was thinking of going to Tobirama's Beach…which isn't really a beach but more like a large artificial lake. N-not that I've been there before or a-anything. Ino just won't stop talking about all the hot boys that are always at the beach." Sasuke motioned for to continue. "T-then we're going to go to watch a movie. Don't know which, you see any good ones lately?"

Sasuke raised his hand, and gulped. "Not really. Unless the Fantasy Five counts." Sayoko made a face. "Or how about an actual movie, like Defenders of the Nebula?"

"Is that even still showing?"

"I don't think so, but I think the cinema guys would make an exception for the Hokage's son. Moving on, you guys could watch a romantic movie like Cloth Cities to get into the mood."

"I'm not into romance."

"Okay. Fine. How about an action thriller like Assignment: Inconceivable: Phantom Country? Or Angry Ai: Frenzy Street? Both of them were really high grossing and really good too. According to the critics anyways. And if I remember correctly, you never got to see either of them."

"What about Seized 3?" Sasuke laughed and laughed before realizing that Sayoko was being serious.

"Don't watch it. It's shit. Well, then again, the Seized series never was that good anyways…and where did you get that notebook and what are you writing down?" Sayoko shrugged and put the book back down on the counter. "Okay. Anyways, if you seriously want a good movie to watch, then just watch Triassic Planet alright? It's not the best, but if you turn your brain off…it will be amazing. Got that? Now where do you plan on going after that? Hopefully not something stupid like that waterpark…"

"What's up with the water park?"

"I heard that some asshole summoned a whole colony of piranha. So I'd suggest not going there. You ever been to Senju Park?" Sayoko shook her head. "Then go there. It's the perfect place to go for first dates. Legend has it that if a shooting star appears in the midnight sky…"

"I got the gist of it." Sayoko titled her head at Sasuke. "Speaking of which…" She then moved to behind her brother and enveloped him in a hug. "When are you gonna get a girlfriend?" Sasuke laughed and detached himself from her body. "Come on! It's a valid question!"

Sasuke shrugged. "I don't know. Honestly? I just haven't have her yet." Sayoko smirked and began to heat up her breakfast.

"How do you know it isn't a guy?" Sasuke frowned. "Hehe. Just pulling your leg. Now don't you have a mission to go to? Go! Go!" Sayoko shooed Sasuke away. She stood outside and bathed in the still shining light of the moon. It was still very early. She glanced at the clock. _7:31. Still a little too early…Wait a minute…is that…_

Walking up to Sayoko dressed in a red shirt and vest combo with black jeans, with a sheepish grin on his face. His blonde hair was actually combed for once and not a wild mess that went whichever way it wanted to go. Naruto stood awkwardly at the foot of the stairs as Sayoko stared at him.

"So…uh…Fancy meeting you here."

* * *

 _Tobirama's Beach, Konoha_

 _9:02 a.m._

* * *

Sayoko had planned to go Hashirama's Garden first, which was next door, but since they were still a bit early, Tobirama's Beach was next best place to go too. Sayoko had changed her clothes, citing it as a little too fancy for a simple walk on the beach. Now she wore a loose white tank top with the Uchiha fan in the very middle of the back, and black short shorts. She didn't bother wearing her sandals and slipped on a pair of flip-flops.

Sitting at the beach, Sayoko watched as Naruto waded out into the lake, trying to catch…something for her. What, Sayoko didn't know and honestly didn't care. She looked upon him with a placid look as she sighed. Normally Sayoko would have been close to paralyzed when left alone with Naruto, but now she wasn't. It was weird.

Something was up though. Naruto looked at with a sort of anticipation. As if waiting for something. And it wasn't the sexual kind either. Sayoko knew that much when she looked into his cerulean pools, which held no trace of lust or anything of that kind. Sayoko brushed it off. _It's nothing._

Wanting to get a little wet, Sayoko slipped off her shorts and tank top. Underneath she wore a dark blue bikini and made her way to Naruto, who was clad in nothing but a pair of black shorts. Sayoko felt herself heat up when she pressed herself against his back and hugged him. She felt him stiffen, and no…not in that sense.

Sayoko pulled back after a second or two…or three and splashed Naruto in the face. "Come on!" She dove and swam to the deep parts, with Naruto…walking on the surface, with a mischievous grin on his face. "That's cheating!" She let out a squeal as Naruto picked her up and tossed her into the lake. "Hey!"

"Watch out! A shark's coming to get ya." Sayoko snorted and kicked Naruto in the gut as he lunged at her from the water.

"What am I? 5? As if I'd be scared of something as simple as a shark."

Thirty or so minutes had passed by, and the beach was beginning to get crowded. Naruto didn't like all of the eyes on them, and went to the shower room. Sayoko sighed, leaving her by herself alone at the edge of the beach, with her tank on. Once Naruto would come out, then it was off to the movies! Hopefully Naruto had better taste than Sasuke did. She did not want to watch the Fantasy Five again.

It was weird how the movie theatre was right next to both the beach and Hashirama's garden. But, hey! All the more convenient for them! And Sayoko was surprised when Naruto opted to watch Outside In, instead of the Fantasy Five like Sasuke said he would.

At the end of the movie, Sayoko was in tears. _What a great movie._ If not for Naruto's constant nitpicking. _How come there are 5 emotions! How come blah, blah, blah_. Sasuke did warn her about this. Naruto's constant need to poke fun at, find things wrong, and in general, just nitpick at all the little things.

Then it was off to the Garden. Hashirama's Garden wasn't really a garden. It was just called a garden because of all the plant life that the restaurant had. The restaurant was littered with statues of its namesake, to the point where is sickened Sayoko. Not because she was an Uchiha, but because there was so many to point of it being annoying.

Naruto tapped her on the shoulder. "Yeah?" Naruto pointed towards one of the waitresses. She had long gold hair and sapphire blue eyes and a near permanent smirk.

"Yuki-chan!" Yukimura's gaze snapped to them almost instantly. Yukimura was a member of the **Black Foxes** and Naruto's cousin, on their father's side. Though her father Yu hadn't been in Konoha for nearly 2 decades, leaving Yukimura to be raised by her uncle. She was also one of the highest ranking Anbu operators. So why in the world was she a waitress here at the Garden of places?

As she approached them, the smirk on her lips morphing into a grin. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" She eyes Sayoko with curiosity, no doubt wondering how she managed to finally get Naruto to go on a date with her after nearly 5 years of pining over him hopelessly.

"Well, I'll have the Sukiyaki, if you still have any." All Naruto got was a fist to the top of his head. "OW! I was being serious you know!" He cowered in his seat when Yuki raised her fist again. "Fine! What's the special today?"

"Glad you asked! The special today is Kumogakure Sukiyaki." Sayoko giggled at Naruto's murderous expression. "And what would you have Yoko? Let me guess, whatever he's having?" Sayoko blushed like the tomatoes that her twin loved so much. "That's a yes!"

Yukimura disappeared and returned after a short while. She leaned was no longer in her waitress uniform, but rather wore her Anbu outfit, her Coyote helmet on her lap. "That was my last order, you guys caught me at the end of my shift."

Sayoko shifted in her seat. "Pardon me for asking, but why are a waitress here? Aren't you a **Black Fox**?" Yukimura smirked.

"Why yes I am." She confirmed loudly, her gaze on Naruto the whole time. Naruto huffed and pouted and looked away. "To answer your question though, it's only for a short time. Intel has it that Suzuki Hirano has an inside man here in the Garden. So Natsumi sent me in as a "foreigner" looking for a job."

"Oh really? And how in the hell did you fucking pull that off? If you've been in Konoha long enough, they'd know who you are the moment you stepped into the garden and unless the owner of the garden is either retarded or blind-OW!" Naruto sunk back into his seat as Yukimura backhanded him across the face.

"I'll have you know dear cousin that I've already found our target. Found him instantly in fact. He was the only person here who didn't know who I was. Everyone else knew, and when I gave them the good old Namikaze look, they knew to shut their fucking mouths before I did it for them. Normally I'd have to wait for back up and all that shit…but since you guy's decided to show up…" Sayoko and Naruto shared a look.

So much for a normal day.

* * *

 _Edo, the Land of Fire_

 _12:15 p.m._

* * *

"You guys have any idea how loud they fucking were the last couple of days? "Oh Menma! Go faster! Ugh! Harder!" Do you have any idea how hard it is to sleep with that literally right above your head? I didn't know Kanade's room was right above mine until then!" Lin resisted the urge to laugh. Ren on the other hand, not so lucky, bursting out in laughter. "Oh shut up! Now get back to work! Your next concert is in a month and guess where it is? Konoha! Gotta uplift the morale and shit! Let's go!"

Lin giggled. "Um…Sao-chan…you haven't given us that new song you said you'd written." Saori blinked a couple of times before running towards her backpack. She pulled out a thick stack music notes. Lin accepted it hesitantly and began to flip through it. "Um….these are all new songs…"

"Yeah. Spent all of last week writing them. Don't worry. It shouldn't take that long to memorize. Now…Let's get to work people! Todou here is your copy. Kaori, hre you go. Here you go Ruri, and try not to break another set of drum sticks alright!?" Lin stood up from the stool and made her way to mic. Ren rose and picked up his guitar. "Okay. Ren, tune that. That's making ears bleed. Now. Everyone else, turn to page 3. We are doing _A Ghost of a Smile_."

The song was fairly long, it looked to be about 5 and a half minutes long. Seemed to be a ballad of some sort. Lin smiled sadly. It seemed that all of Saori's were tear jerkers as of late. This one was no different. "Alright. You done Ren? Good. And 1…2…3…4!"

" _Look up, to the sky. Today is surprisingly so bright. Wouldn't you mind to take a walk with me? I want to make up with you, that's what I've told you_ _…"_ Lin almost stopped when she saw Saori frown and began to furiously write things down on her notepad. Though of course Lin continued when Saori shot her a glare.

" _But with such a face I've never seen, you pretend not to know_ _,_ _I'd like to apologize, to make you so angry_ _._ _By the way, I wonder why, just now_ _you've been crying all the time."_ Saori let out a noise that could only be described as pure frustration and made a tiny tear in the parchment. She shot a glare at Kaori who missed a note. Kaori of course flinched back.

" _As if, I'm not here anymore_ _,_ _always like that, you're so mean. Tightly grasp our united hands. But still, you never notice my existence…"_ They all flinched as Ren missed a chord and the squeaking sound caused them to momentarily stop.

"Don't fucking stop!"

" _Hey, listen to me I need to tell you something, as long as we live, we also have one or two little mistakes no need to concern about that Anytime, I'd be there for you…"_ Lin wasn't sure what was wrong, yet Saori was still upset.

"Higher. Higher!"

" _But if you still can't be satisfied_ _I'll pinch your cheeks,_ _and if you do that to me so_

 _Then I'll go_ _,_ _I need to tell you,_ _it's a little bit embarrassing but_ _I love you…"_ Lin wasn't sure if she was seeing things or not, but it seemed that Saori blushed a little. And then again Ren missed a chord.

" _And then, if I'm not here anymore_ _I believe, you can live by yourself,_ _wipe your tears, head up_ _,_ _I'll always pray for your future happiness…"_ Saori began to shake her head and once again began to write almost violently, almost tearing the paper apart.

" _No need to force a smile…For my sake_ _…_ _So, no need to cry…For my sake_ _…_ _Soon, time will heal you…And make this moment...Into a story of the past…"_ Ruri struck the one of the cymbals a little too hard, and she had to stop the beat for a split second.

"Never mind that! Keep going!"

" _Because today is so brightly if you don't mind,_ _let's go for a walk_ _…_ _I miss you,_ _from the bottom of my heart…"_ Lin tried her best to sustain the note, but her sore voice made that more than a little difficult. "Ah…How was that?"

Saori glared at Ren and Ruri. "Could have been better, but it's your first time singing the song, so I'll cut you some slack. Now…go and take a break, Lin come with me." The rest of the band looked at each other in confusion.

"What? But we only just started!"

"Go. Take. A. Break." She said no more and motioned for Lin to follow. Of course, Lin followed, albeit reluctantly. Ren sighed and sat down, and began to idly strum.

Lin was lead to the garden of the Haine mansion. Ren and her house was not as grand as some of the other celebrities in, but it was still big and massive and even they often got lost, having not fully ventured through all of its winding hallways and crypts. But Lin knew the garden like the back of her hand, with how often she spent her time there.

Saori sat upon one of the many benches that lined the garden. She looked at Lin and sighed. "What's wrong with me?" Lin was confused. What brought this about? Earlier Saori looked like her normal self, now she looked like she someone had stolen her ramen.

"What are you talking about? Where did this…come from all of sudden? There's nothing wrong with you! At least I think so." Saori laughed bitterly.

"I don't know about you…but lately I've been feeling kind of useless." Saori put her head into her hands. "My whole family is made up of the best shinobi and fighters and commanders in the whole world and here I am. The manager of a band. No offense to you of course. But…I just feel so fucking useless! Instead of running out to help my village when it was under attack, I spent the whole fucking night in my room sobbing like a bitch! Hell, I had to have my brother calm me down and tell me that everything would be alright! Hah! I'm so fucking useless!" Her laughter slowly turned into sobs. Lin walked towards her best friend and wrapped her up in a hug, letting the smaller girl cry to her hearts content.

"Why am I so fucking useless?" Saori spent a good 5 minutes or so crying her eyes out before she finally stopped. Either because she finally came to her senses or because she had cried out all the tears. Either way, Lin was relieved. She hated it when Saori became like this. But this wasn't the first time it had happened.

After her moment, Lin and Saori made their way back to the music room. 4 hours later, after Saori nearly blew a gasket when Ren comepletely fucked up the "awesome, amazing, magnificent" guitar solo that she had arranged, and after Lin nearly blew out everyone's ears, when Ruri accidently turned the volume of the mic up to the max, they were finished.

"Alright! That wasn't a complete disaster like the last time we began to rehearse for a new concert, but we made some progress. Remember! We're meeting here at the same time tomorrow alright!? Good! Now go and put your stuff away."

It took some time for everyone to put their stuff away, with Ruri nearly breaking her drum set because of the wire from Ren's amp, and Todou almost choking Kaori out with his stand by accident. All in all, a normal day at work. Lin wondered how they got their shit together for their gigs. It was quite the 180 whenever they were on stage. No mess ups, like 95% of the time, no one screaming bloody murder because of the amp accidently becoming 1000 times louder, and Saori couldn't make Todou piss his pants with that glare of hers, that they called the Namikaze Look.

Lin watched Saori with a smile on her face, when Ren came by and nudged her, a smirk on his face. "Just go for it sis." To which Lin smirked back at him and tugged on his shorts, causing them to fall to his ankles. As he waddled away, Saori strolled up towards Lin. "What's up?"

"About earlier…can we forget that ever happened? Because that was not my best moment, all the yelling, and crying and self-loathing…it's just not the Namikaze way." Lin smiled.

"Of course. Beside, you do it like every week, and either Ren or I have to comfort you, and calm you down and it's just a ton of work you know?"

"Pssh. As if. I only do it like every other month. I think. I'm sure. Now come one! Menma said he would treat us out for some ramen if I didn't make Todou piss his pants!" Lin could only smile sadly at her retreating form. She worried for Saori sometimes, but sometimes, Lin worried more about herself. She moved her hand top her chest and felt her heart beating faster than normal. _Please don't cry again Saori._

* * *

 _Hashirama's Garden/ Senju Park, Konoha_

 _6:02 p.m._

* * *

By the time the operation finished, it was getting dark out. Sayoko smiled, as the moon shone brightly against the slightly pink sky. A yell permeated the air. The Uchiha looked behind to see Yukimura push the spy onto the ground and grind her boot into the small of his back. Sayoko had to wince as Yukimura roughly snapped a pair of cuffs onto the man's legs and feet. To their right, Naruto leaned against a bench. All around them a squad of Anbu were spread out, searching the establishment for anymore Intel.

"I think you missed a spot Yuki-chan." Naruto called out and stomped his foot down onto the spy's calf. A loud crack could be heard across the park. Sayoko watched as Naruto got blown by a punch to the cheek.

"You idiot! What if he goes into shock!? Then we'd never get any new Intel at all! You moron! Quick! Badger, Racoon, take this guy to T and I before Naruto decided to do something even stupider." A second later and all that could be seen of them, were their blurred forms out in the distance.

"Well that was a job well done I'd say!" Sayoko broke the silence and pulled Naruto up to his feet. "If you need us Yuki-san, we'll be over at Senju Park! Good luck with your report!" Yukimura smirked.

"Go and get em tiger!"

Sayoko smiled and turned away from Naruto, hoping she did it fast enough that he wouldn't notice the blush on her face. Senju Park was as beautiful as the pictures on the brochure did. If not even better. All around were trees that were hundreds of years old. Legend has it that this was the place that Hashirama learned about his wood release bloodline. The park was crowded with trees. Everywhere you looked, trees. Trees that towered over the park like the ancient guardians that they were.

"Over here!" Naruto called out, moving to underneath the shade of one of the many trees that lined the smooth marble pathway. It was bigger than the trees around it and provided adequate enough shade. Maybe enough shade for the rain that would ensue. It was weird, Sayoko thought, not even a minute ago, the skies were clear, and now a big black rain cloud slowly made its way across the sky. There was no doubt that it would rain.

And sure enough, just as Sayoko made it under the safety of the giant leaves and branches, it began to pour. And pour hard too. Sayoko felt her heart drop. This was definitely a sign. A really bad sigh. She gulped and clutched her tank top. A shiver ran through her body, despite the warm summer air. Looking over to Naruto, who, for the first time that day, had a serious look on his face. Oh that was definitely a bad sign.

Sayoko pressed her back against the trunk of the tree as she sat on one of its massive roots. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out two sandwiches. "Figure you'd get hungry." She smiled at him, to which Naruto only nodded stiffly. Afterwards, they sat mostly in silence watching the rain fall from the heavens. It was becoming one heck of a storm. At this rate, the levies would have to be raised to keep the springs, the lake and the many streams that surrounded the village from overflowing. Something which hadn't happened since the birth of the village of itself. Now that was a bad sign if Sayoko ever saw one. She had never seen it rain this hard before, and it only seemed like the rain would intensify.

"It's fitting…"

Naruto stood up and moved to go out into the rain. Nearly tripping, Sayoko managed to pull him back into the safety of the tree's branches which had begun to sway to and fro under the immense speed of the wind. Sayoko had never heard of, let alone seen, a storm of this magnitude happening. "What are you doing!?" The wind picked up even more to the point where Sayoko had to yell over the wind's screaming.

The boy she loved smiled sadly. "Taking a shower. Gotta cleanse myself." This time, Sayoko made no move to stop him, and instead followed him into the rain. She had such a bad feeling about this. The sky had turned into an ugly black now, as the rain fell at an incredible speed.

"Naruto!" He turned around to face her in middle of the path. "What. Are. You. Doing!?" Sayoko's clothes were soaked, the rain dripped down her face and hair and into her eyes, she was wet, she was uncomfortable. Now Sayoko had to deal with this as well. "This wasn't how this was supposed to happen!"

Naruto smiled that smile of his, and got her heart racing. He took a deep breath. "Sayoko…I…" Her eye's widened. Could…could this be it? Would Naruto finally admit that he too was in love with her? Was this it!? A happy smile spread across Sayoko's face.

"I don't love you."

The moment she had been dreading for 5 years. The 4 words that she dreaded to hear. It felt like a thousand suns exploded in her heart. Her legs felt like jelly. For a moment, her heart stopped. Or at least it felt that way. It felt like a dagger had been shoved in between a pair of her vertebrae and someone was twisting the dagger over and over and over again and again and again.

What?

What?

What!?

WHAT!?

What… _N-no…no! No! NO! NO! NO!_ A laugh escaped from Sayoko's lips. "Haha…That's…that's funny! V-very f-funny!" Already her eyes began to water. This couldn't be happening could it!? It couldn't be!? Why did he wait so fucking long to tell her!? Why?

Why?

Naruto wasn't laughing. He slowly walked towards her. Sayoko collapsed to her knees. "Why? Why? Why!? WHY!? Why did you wait this long!? WHY!?" Her sobs were lost in the rain. Sayoko didn't even protest when Naruto wrapped her up in a hug. "Please…Tell me…" She…she wasn't mad….Okay. That was a lie. She was livid. But at the same time relieved. Sayoko had had her suspicions for years. And only now did she start believing what Sasuke told her. Naruto didn't love her. At least not the way she wanted. Sayoko didn't hate Naruto, she was just angry that he didn't immediately come right out the gate with it.

"Because…Because you wouldn't have taken it well."

"Bullshit. Please. I'm begging you…No more lies! Just…tell me the truth." Sayoko sobbed into Naruto's hair. A sigh escaped Naruto's lips.

"Where should I start? I suppose I'll start at the beginning. When Sasuke first told me, I think 4 years ago, that you were in love with me…I didn't believe him. I told him that there was no way you were in love with me. After all, I could recall you saying that Kenji was more attractive and if I remember correctly you were into "bad boys" back then." Sayoko stopped sobbing and began to listen intently.

"Yet he kept insisting that you were in love with me, just smitten with me. It was only when we had our first real mission, back in Wave, that I believed it to be true. When you jumped in front of me to save me from Haku's needles. Not that I needed saving mind you…but when I looked into your eyes that moment, I could tell…I could just tell how deeply in love you were with me. And it was at that moment that I knew that I'd never be able to love you back. Because I knew that you would give your life, for mine. And that's not something I can handle…I…wouldn't have been able to live knowing that I was the cause of your death." She knew it to be true now, but it still stung to hear. And it would forever sting.

"After that…I told myself that it was just an irrational crush, that it would be over soon and that you would find another boy to pine over. I told myself this over and over and over and over and over again and again and again. Yet everything I told this to myself, you proved me wrong. You kept proving me wrong. Like the time Orochimaru tried to give me and Sasuke the cursed seal, you pushed me out of the way and took the cursed seal instead. You're lucky Arashi actually knew how to remove the seal, otherwise…I'd never forgive myself for letting you fall to Orochimaru's hands, albeit it wasn't technically my fault. That moment still haunts me to this day."

"It was only after our mission in Smoke did I finally realize that this wasn't some stupid crush. I was so stupid. I was in denial for so long. I gave you false hope, that I actually felt something for you or something, but I didn't. It was only then did I realize that I couldn't let this go any more. I had to deal with this. I know I should have told you earlier but…"

Sayoko looked up at him. With a tiny bit of shock, she realized that he too was tearing up. "You were afraid of what would happen…to you?"

"To our friendship. I didn't want to risk it. I also didn't want to risk getting killed by Itachi, Shisui and your father."

"What about Sasuke?"

"Oh he would've cut off my balls and found some way to make sure I felt that pain for all eternity." Then they fell silent, with Naruto cradling Sayoko's body. It was like this for a good while. "Look. A shooting star." Sayoko smiled bitterly.

 _A shooting star huh. What a lie._

* * *

 _Kemuri City_

 _2:01 a.m._

* * *

Who in their goddamn minds would be crazy enough to ask for a meeting with him at this late of an hour? Who!? And he was having such a good dream too. Money. Money everywhere. But oh no…someone just had to knock on his door. Hopefully it was Kirei. Nothing would lift his spirits more than knocking a tooth or two out. Even if that was a bad idea. Like, the worst idea one could possibly have had.

With a sigh, Suzuki pulled open the door. An explosion rocked his apartment and blew him back through a wall. One second he was opening the door, the next, he was opening up a compartment containing a small knife. But that would be useless against whoever was smart or strong enough to cause that explosion.

Slowly strutting towards him, was a girl with white-blonde hair. That wasn't too surprising, Kemuri had the highest population of white haired men and women in the entire continent. But those glowing blue eyes…There was no mistaking who this was. Suzuki had heard from Rika before she left, that someone was out for him. He never though it would be Konoha's Snow Queen? Kimiko Namikaze.

"Let's have a chat Suzuki-san. A nice little chat."

* * *

 **(A Cruel Angel's Thesis- Neon Genesis Evangelion Op)**


	11. Hope this works

**(Bravely You-Charlotte Opening)**

* * *

 _Kemuri City_

 _3:02 a.m._

* * *

Finally, after 3 weeks of searching, interrogating and cross-checking data and intel, they found him. Well, Kimiko had found Suzuki a long time ago, but she couldn't make a move because Kirei was there. And then she fell back and when she returned to the same spot the next day, Suzuki was gone. Though that was foreseeable. In fact, Kimiko knew it would happen. She also knew that someone who had been on the run as long as Suzuki would be nearly impossible to find.

First she had gone to her contact in Kemuri city, or at least, she was until she came upon his dead body, hung in an alleyway. Etched into his body was a message. Though whoever did it, did a terrible job, Kimiko couldn't even read it. Not that she needed to, to understand what the message was supposed to be. _Don't mess with us._

But they forgot to clean out her contact's apartment. He had laid out a map and a bunch of other papers for when Kimiko arrived. Most of them were things that Kimiko already knew. Except for one location. _The Seven Smoke Pub._ Interestingly enough, when Kimiko crosschecked the maps for the building, it could not be found. Though the records did show that there once used to be a building named _the Seven Smoke Tavern_ in the really run down parts of town. Though it was supposedly torn down to make more room for a grand colosseum that was never actually built. Like most of the grand projects that were drawn up by the previous ruler of Kemuri. Raiko Akabane.

His fingerprints could be seen all throughout the city. Numerous towering skyscrapers half built, entire parks and forests turned to ash. Entire lakes and rivers dried out or polluted to the point of being lifeless. It was wonder how he ruled for nearly 6 decades.

So Kimiko sent a message back to Konoha, reporting back to her father all that she knew. Though, she did fail to tell him about the fact that Suzuki Hirano could soon be within their grasp. The morning after, Kimiko made the short journey to where the _Seven Smoke Tavern_ should have been.

In its place was a large pile of rubble and garbage. Though, peaking through the chunks of concrete and rebar, was the wood of a door. _Jackpot._

However she soon realized that that was a mere ruse. The air around the pile was distorted, as if someone had put up some sort of illusion or barrier. It seemed to be made of some sort of magic energy. _Tch. Guess it's time I put those little tricks Kazuma showed me to good use_. Kimiko thrust out her hand and began to feel for a solid surface. _And there…_ Kimiko unleased a wave of magical energy and disrupted the magical barrier. The air in front of her, rippled and a second later, it released a burst of magic.

Where once there was nothing, there was now a massive door. Himiko put her hand up against it and began to release waves of her chakra. _A foreign chakra source. The only chakra source._ A grin formed on Kimiko's lips.

Cocking her arm back, Kimiko channeled a little fire chakra through her arm, for a little more explosiveness. A second later, Kimiko slammed her fist against the door, blowing it apart into more than a million pieces. Kimiko stepped over and through the ruins of what used to be a granite walkway.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted him. Suzuki Hirano. He lay down on the ground, hiding a dagger underneath his body. Not that it would even do a thing. He stared at her with dismay before sighing.

"Let's have a chat Suzuki-san. A nice little chat." He made no move against her, as Kimiko lifted him up by the collar and dragged him out of the rubble. Once he was out of the rubble, she slapped some binds onto his hands and feet. Kimiko was half expecting one of his lackey's to appear out of nowhere and ambush her. But nothing. Nothing. Kimiko made no attempt to knock him out. He knew that running away would prove to be a fruitless endeavour. Especially against her.

Thankfully, if you were seen walking the streets of Kemuri carrying a body, there was little chance anyone would be able to do anything to you. Though there was hardly anyone in the streets anyways. Kimiko unceremoniously dumped Suzuki against the corner of her apartment. His eyes lingered on her for a second before scanning the room he was locked in. "Don't do anything stupid. I don't want to have to kill you."

Kimiko made her way to her room and slipped off her skin tight black body suit. She remembered how Rika told her to leave the city immediately. But of course, no matter how much she wanted to, Kimiko couldn't do that. So it was very convenient for Kimiko when she realized that the Tyrant of Smoke had left the city.

A sigh of relief exited Kimiko's lips as she turned the shower on and ran her sore and cold skin underneath the warm water. What to do next? She could take Suzuki back to Konoha with her, in fact, her father ordered her to do just that. She could do that…that was the most logical of decisions. But Kimiko had a…better idea. So to speak.

She came back into the room and spotted Suzuki sitting on her couch and flipping through T.V channels. He looked up at her and lifted his hands, which were still bound together. Something about the smirk on his face rubbed Kimiko the wrong way. Suzuki leaned forward.

"Care to remove my binds?" Kimiko ignored his request and sat down on the sofa perpendicular to the couch. "That's a no I guess. So...shall we have a little chat then?" Kimiko would have to be careful with him in this battle of words. Suzuki had a reputation the Black Market for his silver tongue.

"I'm going to set you free." His eyes widened and he leaned forward even more. "On one condition." Kimiko reached into the mini-fridge adjacent to the sofa and pulled out a bottle of beer.

"I'm listening."

"You will become my contact in the organization that you currently work for, and in exchange, you will get to keep your life." Suzuki snorted and leaned back into the couch.

"Is that all? Is that all you're going to offer me? I'd rather die, seeing as how that's basically what you're asking me to do. You do know who is a part of the Cult right?"

"Yes. Kirei Uchiha right?"

Suzuki shrugged. "Kind of. I don't really know. He never seemed that into it. Seemed like he just wanted to kill people. He did that a lot. So what else do you have to offer me?"

"If you get caught, which is more than likely, you will have a place to go, in Konoha. Or at least I will try my best to do so." Suzuki still didn't seem to be convinced. "And we will provide you with weapons and other supplies of the highest quality and will provide you with safe houses in all Konoha affiliated countries. And we will subsidize you with at least 35 million ryo."

"And you're going to let me do this, without any supervision? I'm not sure if you've noticed but I'm not exactly trust worthy, like at all." Suzuki smirked once more, sure that he had Kimiko wrapped around his finger. Kimiko herself smiled back at him.

"Oh you won't. You're one of the most wanted non-shinobi criminals in the entire world, there's no way in hell I'd trust you to keep to your word. Which is why a member of Konoha's **Black Foxes** will be with you at all times to make sure you don't betray us. I'm sure you know who they are?" Suzuki's face darkened.

"Can you give me some time to think about this?"

"Of course. In your cell in Konoha when we return." At Suzuki's confused face, Kimiko smirked." Oh, you thought I'd let you go immediately? Hah! No. First I have to get approval from my Father. And then we'd have to gather up all the money needed and you'd need to get back into contact with your networks and other shit."

"I…I see."

"Yes. Now, relax for the day. I mean…the rest of the morning. We'll be leaving at shift change for the guards." Suzuki snorted.

"Please. The security here is so terrible that you could sneak out in broad daylight and no one would give a shit."

"True, but I'd rather have no one see us at all. Makes things a tiny bit easier."

"Yes. Yes. Can you please take my binds off?" Kimiko's lips curled into a smirk as she cut his binds apart. Suzuki wrung his hands and stretched out his tired muscles. "I don't suppose I can go to the bathroom?"

"You can. But I'll know if you try to leave. And even if you do manage to get out of the building, tracking you down would be easy." Suzuki rolled his eyes and stood up and went to the bathroom to do his business. With a sigh Kimiko stood and looked out at the horizon. Things weren't looking good at all. Shit, it seemed like the war would come any day now. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after…

All Kimiko knew was that they were not prepared for this war. And that would have grave consequences.

* * *

 _Edo, the Land of Fire_

 _6:03 a.m._

* * *

Most would have found the sound of drills and hammering and squeaking to be annoying, especially in the morning. But to Menma, it was nothing but pure bliss. He wiped his greasy hands on a nearby towel and set his wrench down. The satellite was almost finished. Only a few more compartments and it was done. Menma diverted his gaze to the blueprint nailed to the bulletin board.

"Kousei! Take this down to Rin and get its generator working. Yuno, get me the next the satellite." With only a few short minutes to rest, Menma took a sip from his bottle of water. "Okay. Roll it into position. Good. Go and help Ruko with her satellite. I can handle this by myself."

An hour and a half later, most of the satellite was finished. Menma would repeat the process 3 or 4 more times. By the time lunch rolled around, Menma was sore. His hands were red, and the bin next to him was full to the brim with bottles of water. His towel was now comepletely black with grease and oil. _Only 20 more to go._ Arashi's barrier required at least 30 to 35 satellites for it to work. Or at least, Menma's improved version did. Though, Menma was secretly going to convert a couple of them to what he called _**Orbital Drop Missiles.**_ It still needed some work, but he was getting close to perfecting the design.

"Alright guys. We'll pick up tomorrow alright? Try and get the job finished." Well, assembling the satellites wouldn't really take that long, but, reassembling them on the field would take quite a bit on time, assuming that the war didn't come upon them as soon as possible like the plague. Should that happen, assembling them on the field would take a bit more time.

Menma with a sigh, made his way over to the bulletin board and began to inspect the blueprint for his _**Orbital Drop Missiles.**_ Menma was unsure of what to do with it next. He had finished designing the missile delivery system, but was having a little trouble with the missile launch system. Sure it would have been easy to just let them drop like the name implies, but that would mean that the attacks would in no way be precise.

"Having trouble?" Ryuunosuke called out as he made his way down the steps into Menma's workshop. Menma nodded his head. His mentor took a look at the print. "What's the problem here?"

"I can't seem to figure out a good way to launch the missiles. I've already considered just dropping them, but that's a little too inaccurate and could lead to some friendly fire. Making them accurate would mean reducing the firepower to increase the speed and the accuracy of the missile." Menma turned to Ryuunosuke. "Do you have any ideas?"

His mentor took a few seconds to analyze his plan before snapping his fingers. "The barrier works by producing beams of energy into some sort of projector that projects a semi solid surface does it not?" Menma nodded. "Then why not convert the beams of energy, which I'm assuming are not lethal, and convert them into beams of heat? Not only will they be more accurate, you can also increase the firepower without losing accuracy."

"I've already thought about it, but we don't have generators powerful enough to generate that kind of power and heat. And building one capable of doing so could take at least a week or so. And plus we don't have the parts needed to make a generator capable of making that much power. But you do make a good point. If only we some other way of producing that kind of energy…"

Ryuunosuke pulled up a seat. "Well, there is a way…Do you know what Mizore Sapphires are?"

Menma frowned. "Yes…They are a form of sapphires that are found in the Mizore region of Kiri. Tests show that if combined with chakra it is…capable of producing a nearly…infinite amount…of energy…" Ryuunosuke smiled and pulled out a small jagged and clear blue crystal. "Is that…"

"It was. They can only supply that amount of energy for about a week or so. This one has already exhausted all its energy. But…if you have multiple sapphires…"

"I see. But they are very rare are they not? Almost as rare as Chakra Diamonds aren't they?"

His mentor nodded. "They are. But if Kimiko's little plan works, then we'll have a contact in the black market. And as you know…the black market has a huge quantity of items that are normally rare. But we can't rely on that. I'll have to ask the Daimyo if we can use his collection of Mizore Sapphires. But we'll have to find another source of energy. Now go and take a shower. My nose is burning."

With a grin, Menma did so. Afterwards he made his way to his room. Sleeping in his bed was Kanade, her black hair strewn about on his sheets and covers. She was asleep. Menma sighed and sat down at his work desk and began to work on his new design.

A smile made his way onto his lips when Kanade stood up and wrapped her arms around him. "How was your morning?"

"Tired. Spent the whole morning sleeping." Kanade yawned. "But hey…you want to go somewhere later? You know…For lunch?" She eyed his blueprints. "Come one. You can finish this later."

"I suppose I could…Well…okay. Just go and get change. I'll put this away." Kanade skipped off to the bathroom giggling all the way. It was a nice change for once. To see Kanade happy. It seemed to Menma that she had been very unhappy for a long time. Even before she came to Edo with him, she had been unhappy. It hurt Menma just as much to see her that way. To see the girl he loved so unhappy. But it hurt him even more, knowing it was because of him, that she had felt this way ever since he…more or less abandoned her 5 years ago.

No matter what Kanade said, Menma knew that it still hurt her. But Menma didn't want to think about that. His smile grew wider as Kanade's singing reached his ears. That was until he realized what she was singing.

" _I will never again receive your love_ _…_ _Nor will I ever be needed_ _…"_

Menma smiled sadly and cleaned up his work station. _If only any of that were actually true._

* * *

 _Namikaze Compound, Golden Leaf District, Konoha_

 _2:04 p.m._

* * *

 _Hmm. Yuki-Hime needs another polishing…_ Tsugumi unsheathed her katana and grabbed the wet towel atop her desk. As the blade began to gleam in the rays of the sun that actually penetrated her window, her door creaked open. Standing in the doorway was Arashi, a file in hand, as well as a letter.

"Oh sweet! Are those the files on the Coloured Swords that I asked for?" Arashi nodded and tossed her the files. "And the letter?"

"From Uncle Takeo. I think you'll want to read it. If you have any questions I'll be in the library." Tsugumi smiled and caught the letter as well. She peered out the window. Outside, Kenji and Himiko were sitting on the sidelines, watching as their mother schooled Himiko in the sport of badminton. Even from up in her room, Tsugumi could hear their grunts and cries, as they swatted the ball, sorry, the birdie over the net.

It was nice for a change. Most of their family was actually at home, relaxing, for the most part, and taking a break from all the stress that this whole war business brought on. Aside from Arashi of course. Arashi worked day and night, every day. Some nights he only slept for an hour or so, and some days he hardly was seen out of his office or the library or the sealing room. But of course mother made sure that Arashi wasn't overworking himself.

With a sigh, Tsugumi set Yuki-Hime aside and picked up the file. Written in Arashi's distinct cursive in the top right corner, was: _The Coloured Swords_. Tsugumi picked up the first paper. It was about the one Himiko had fought. Jin Satoru, known as the _Purple Sword, the Purple Blade_. He was currently in one of the cells in T and I, waiting for Kazuma to return. Though he initially gave Himiko some trouble, he was considered to be the weakest of the Swords. Tsugumi could see why when she reviewed film of him in the _Furious Sword_ tournament in the Land of Iron. He was quick and fast to be sure, but there was hardly any technique in his attacks. At times he just swung his katana as fast as he could. And it worked. Tsugumi wasn't surprised either, considering his outstanding speed. But he wasn't the one she was looking for.

In fact, most of them were not. None of them fit the criteria for that woman she had faced in Firebird. Though there were really only 3 women among the Swords anyways. Momo, the Pink Sword, was definitely not the one she was looking for. She just wasn't fast enough to be the one. Though Tsugumi had to admit, her technique was pretty good. Defense solid as well. But it was not at the level Tsugumi was looking for.

Irimi, the Orange Sword, also didn't fit. Considering she had Auburn hair, as opposed to the woman's pitch black hair. She was one of the powerhouses of the Swords. Though she preferred strength over speed, her quickness was impressive nonetheless. Tsugumi just sat at her desk, watching the tournament, and just soaking in the swordplay. Every swing, every parry, every close call. It was heaven for her.

The only person who actually fit her criteria, was the most powerful of the Swords. With hair as dark and long, Keiko Arima fit every single one of her criteria. She was absurdly fast, to the point where even Tsugumi had a hard time seeing them herself. The ease at which she tore apart her opponents, the ease at which she performed high level maneuvers, the ease at which she dodged and danced around her opponents. Tsugumi knew it was her. It just had to be.

But at the same time…it couldn't be. Natsumi's contact in Iwa reported seeing the Black Sword in Iwa around a couple of days before the attack on Konoha even occurred. Though it was certainly possible to reach to Konoha from Iwa in one day, it would've been hard for a non-shinobi like Keiko to do so. And unless she had help getting to Konoha, Tsugumi found it hard to believe that she was actually the woman that she had fought.

But it was a nice thought. The best Swordswoman, and just the best swordfighter in general, going to Konoha to see if the rumours about Konoha's Blood Princess were true? Even if it wasn't Keiko Arima, it was still a big ego boost to Tsugumi's already giant ego.

Tsugumi turned and ripped open the letter. _From Takeo-sensei, eh?_ Everyone else knew him as Uncle Takeo, but to Tsugumi, he would always be her master. The one who taught her everything she knows. The one who could still probably beat her ass despite his age.

 _Dear Gum Gum,_

 _Heard things are bad. Me and the Squad are gonna be there. Expect us in 2 weeks or so._

 _Love, Takeo Uzumaki_

 _P.S: I can still kick your ass_

 _P.P.S: I'd send an E-Mail, but fuck that shit_

A small laugh escaped from Tsugumi's lips. Though she was a little ticked off that he actually remembered that horrid nickname that Arashi came up. With an annoyed sigh, Tsugumi stood up, sheathed Yuki-Hime, and took a strip of gum from the pack at the corner of her desk. Tsugumi made her way down to the Dojo.

The dojo should have been empty. Nope. Leaning against the wall was Natsumi, her crimson hair damp with sweat. She was wearing a sports bra and a pair of spandex short shorts. Her body was drenched with sweat. When Tsugumi entered the dojo, Natsumi looked up and smiled.

"Hey! I've been looking for a sparring partner you know."

Tsugumi smiled smugly and drew Yuki-Hime from her sheathe. "Well you've found the perfect partner." Tsugumi shrugged off her robes. Underneath she wore a black, skin tight shirt that stopped at her midriff and black three quarter length leggings. "But let's see if you can keep up."

"Oh but I-Gah!" Tsugumi rushed forward interrupting her older sister mid-sentence. "Come on! At least-ah! Warn me before you attack!" Though she had a smile on her face the whole time she said that. Tsugumi smirked and twirled back. Out of the corner of her eye, Tsugumi saw Natsumi swing her sword at Tsugumi's exposed back.

"You'll have to do better than that sis." Tsugumi called out swinging Yuki-Hime behind her back, deflecting Natsumi's slash. She then did a pirouette and whipped Yuki-Hime horizontally. Natsumi leapt back in time, just barely avoiding the tip of Yuki-Hime.

"Ugh!" Though Natsumi was too slow to avoid the follow up thrust which grazed her cheek. She drew back her sword and parried Tsugumi's next strike. Tsugumi grinned and stepped back and swung Yuki-Hime downward. She could see Natsumi buckle under the strike and kicked her sister in the side.

Natsumi flew back, but managed to recover in time. She looked up and pulled her blade up in attempt to block a jab. _Fell for the fake did ya?_ Tsugumi pulled back at the last second and unleashed a blinding combo which Natsumi was only barely able to defend against.

"Come on Natsu! I don't want to kill you ya know!"

Natsumi growled at her sister and lunged forward, slashing at Tsugumi's exposed left side. A grin once again made its way onto Tsugumi's face as she spun off to the side and leaped into the air and thrust Yuki-Hime forward at the same time.

"Hyah!"

Tsugumi's grin was now permanent it seemed, as Natsumi swung her blade downward. _Too slow_. Tsugumi took a step forward, dodging Natsumi's attack by a hair. Natsumi's eyes widened as Yuki-Hime glided through the air, and sliced her Katana in half.

In battle Tsugumi would have followed through and ran Yuki-Hime through her opponents head. And she almost did it in this case, and almost stabbed her sister right between the eyes. Fortunately, Tsugumi stopped in time. Though her momentum carried her forward, where Natsumi stuck her leg out and tripped her. "Oof!"

Tsugumi looked up to see Natsumi smiling smugly down at her. "Gotcha." Tsugumi groaned and turned over onto her back. "You gotta be more careful Gumi. If you weren't careful, which you were, you could've killed me."

"But I didn't"

"I just said that." Natsumi sighed and offered Tsugumi her hand. "Now come on. I want to see Himiko get destroyed by mom in badminton."

"Ah, but then when mom wins, she's gonna want to kick even more ass! It's too late for that shit. You know what? You go and get your ass kicked by mom. I'm gonna go and get something to eat. Something that isn't ramen to be specific."

Natsumi gasped. "What!? Something that isn't ramen? Wha…What else is there to eat? Dango? Hah!" And it didn't seem that she was kidding either.

* * *

 _Hokage's Office, Konoha_

 _9:21 a.m._

* * *

"And you're sure about this? You're sure?" The messenger nodded. "Agh. Alright. You may go now." Minato sighed and rubbed his temples as the door shut. He took a look at the report in front of him. It was mind boggling. And just really hard to comprehend how it happened.

5 patrols north of the village just completely wiped out. A sixth one almost completely destroyed. The only survivor dying in the hospital. All within the week after the attack on Konoha. But then after 2 days without any reports, Minato assumed that it was done. Over.

Then today. The seventh patrol total. Most survived, though Minato attributed that to Kakashi's quick thinking. Very quick thinking. Though the encounter nearly cost him his good eye. Good thing Tsunade was here to help treat the wound. Though the operation did set back Kage's treatment.

Kage had been severely injured in the fight against Kenji. Most of his ribs were shattered, his legs had torn their muscle apart and his chakra coils were in absolute chaos. Though surprisingly, it was not the Black Chakra that did the damage, but rather it was Kenji and the power of the 8 Gates.

But this was getting a little out of hand. Kazuma suggested they increase the number of patrols, Kimiko suggested the opposite. Natsumi suggested sending out a strike team to deal with the problem. Arashi?

"I'll take care of this myself."

And he looked serious. Afterwards no one dared to say anything otherwise. Minato had to smile, once Arashi had his mind set on a goal, there was nothing short of death itself that could stop him. Though that often lead to a ton of near death situations.

Minato stood up. He turned over to Himiko who was busy doing paperwork for him. Though Minato honestly would have preferred to do it himself. But Himiko insisted. And Minato never really stood any chance with his daughters and their puppy dog eyes.

"Yes dad?"

"I'm going to go and check on Kakashi. I take it you can handle-"

"Yes dad. Yes, I can. Go and check on your student. His injuries seemed pretty serious." Himiko winked and swirled around in her chair. "Now go! You're interrupting meeee!"

With a laugh, Minato made his way down to the newly built hospital, which even he was surprised to learn was already finished. It stood tall like a beacon of light among the ruins of Konoha. Though the compared to some other districts, Central wasn't as affected. Still, Minato felt a surge of rage quickly pass him. But he had to let it go. Anger wouldn't help him right now.

He found Kakashi in the cafeteria reading his smut in public with no shame. Most of the shinobi in the hospital cafeteria ignored it, though there were a couple of civilians who looked at Kakashi a bit weirdly. His former student saw him and gave a wave.

Minato wasn't sure that Kakashi should have been out of bed, but he was. His left arm was in a sling, and a crutch leaned against the table. A bunch of medical tape was all over his right arm, and a ton of bandages were wrapped around his damaged eye as well. His normally closed left eye, his Sharingan eye, was open so that Kakashi could actually see. Though his body was damaged internally as well. Minato didn't know the extent of the damage, but he did know that the chakra coils in Kakashi's left arm, were…fucked. They weren't pumping chakra properly. They could still channel it, just…not the way it was supposed to. Which was why it was in a special cast that kept his chakra from leaking. It would heal with time though, but there was no timetable for the Copy-Cat's possible return to the field.

Perhaps if Edo could send some medical aid from Menma's inventions, Kakashi's recovery time would be going by quicker. It still boggled Minato's mind. How did Menma come up with some of this stuff? Machines that you could plug someone into and pump chakra directly into their body. Before that, the best way to help someone with Chakra deficiency was to wait and wait for their Chakra stores to build with time, or give them some special medicine that increased the rate at which the body produced Chakra. Minato didn't know how Menma figured it all out, and frankly, he didn't care as long as the stuff worked.

Kakashi offered Minato his untouched apple, which Minato accepted. "Are you sure you should be out of bed? I mean, you look like shit?" Kakashi shrugged and began to tap on the table.

 _I don't know. I was feeling hungry and the button that calls the nurse wasn't working so I decided fuck it. I'll go and eat myself._ When Kakashi noticed Minato staring at him, he continued. _My vocal chords got a little messed up in the scuffle so I can't speak for at least a week or so at most._

With a sigh, Minato pulled out a sheet of paper and flagged down one of the nurses and got a pen. "Just…write it down will you?" Once again, Kakashi just shrugged. "Okay. Now. What can you tell me about your attacker?"

' **Not much really. Except he was dressed in a black tattered cloak with a motif of the Yamata no Orochi on the back'** Kakashi wrote down. **'That's pretty much all I can tell you.'**

"Are you sure?" Kakashi nodded. Minato sighed. "I see. Then I suppose I'll leave you to your lunch." A nod. Another sigh. _Well that was a waste of time. I knew that much already the reports from nearby villages. But I guess it can't be helped._ _I just hope that you know what you're getting into Arashi._

* * *

 _The Forest of Black Flames, the Land of Fire_

 _6:10 p.m._

* * *

"Hmm. Ahhhh. Such a nice smell don't you think?" The woman cough and crimson overflowed her broken lips and dripped down onto her limp body. Satoshi smiled and let her drop. With a quick kick to the neck, the woman was dead, with a piece of vertebrae ripping through her neck. Satoshi took a deep breath and admired his handiwork.

A couple of meters to the left was another woman. Another Konoha Anbu. Before, she had long, dark blue hair. Now, her hair was stained red with the blood of her comrades. Her skull smashed in, bones in her arms shattered. Satoshi smiled as he stood up and stomped on her skull, causing it to implode.

To his right was a man. He wasn't that interesting though, with plain black hair. Though that didn't matter anymore. Not when Satoshi ripped the entire top of his head off, brain, eyes, and hair. All at once. With a sigh, Satoshi clutched at his cloak and dusted off pieces of grey matter.

Then he felt _him._ That delicious chakra signature. The same one that drew him to Konoha in the first place. Then a wave of disappointment surged through Satoshi's body. It was close to being the same, yet it wasn't. Perhaps this person was related or something?

A grin formed on Satoshi's face as a man stepped out of the forest. He had short, spiky blonde hair, cold blue eyes that began analyzing Satoshi the moment their eyes met.

"Well…You're not the one I wanted. But you'll have to do. For now at least Arashi-san."

"Who are you?"

"You shouldn't be asking questions you already know the answer to. " A shiver of pleasure coursed down Satoshi's spine as Arashi flared his chakra. "Now show me why you're called Konoha's Golden God."

Arashi's face remained emotionless as he held his right hand out. "No. I'm going to be finishing this before it even starts." A golden ball of chakra began to swirl in his palm. "No more games. No more meddling in our affairs. You will die here. And you will now." Satoshi had to smile at his conviction.

"You can very well try your best. But I'm sorry if I disappoint you, if I should fail to die." A shadow loomed over Satoshi as Arashi ran forward, a golden sphere of super condensed chakra in his palm. His golden chakra aura bloomed and arcs of electricity would appear every so often.

" _ **Golden Rasengan. Eviscerate this fool from this plane of existence. Now die."**_

* * *

 **(Oath Sign-Fate/Zero Season 1 Op)**

* * *

 **The Namikaze Family:**

Minato Namikaze

Aliases: The Yellow Flash, the Yondaime Hokage

Age: 44

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 145 Lbs

Rank: Hokage

Class: S-Rank

* * *

Kushina Uzumaki Namikaze

Aliases: Red Hot Blooded Habanero

Age: 44

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 103 Lbs

Rank: Retired

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Kazuma Uzumaki

Aliases: the Black Leaf

Age: 24

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 155 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Kimiko Namikaze

Aliases: The Snow Queen, the Queen of ice

Age: 23

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 115 Lbs

Rank: Anbu Captain

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Natsumi Uzumaki

Aliases: The Phantom of Konoha

Age: 23

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 112 Lbs

Rank: Anbu Captain

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Arashi Namikaze

Aliases: The Golden God, the Golden Comet,

Age: 22

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 135 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: SS Rank

* * *

Tsugumi Namikaze

Aliases: The Blood Princess of Konoha

Age: 22

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 120 Lbs

Rank: Civilian

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Menma Namikaze

Aliases: The Inventor

Age: 20

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 150 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: B-Rank

* * *

Kenji Namikaze

Aliases: The Red Fox, the Bloody Fist

Age: 18

Height: 6'

Weight: 145 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: S-rank

* * *

Himiko Namikaze:

Aliases: Mother of Foxes

Age: 18

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 110 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: S-Rank

* * *

Naruko Namikaze

Aliases: None

Age: 16

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 110 Lbs

Rank: Genin

Class: B-rank

* * *

Naruto Namikaze

Aliases: none

Age: 16

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 125 Lbs

Rank: Genin

Class: B-Rank

* * *

Saori Namikaze

Aliases: None

Age: 14

Height: 5'2"

Weight: 105 Lbs

Rank: Civilian

Class: C-Rank

* * *

Yukimura Namikaze

Aliases: The Feral Wolf

Age: 21

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 115 Lbs

Rank: Anbu Officer

Class: A-Rank

* * *

 **Konoha**

* * *

Kakashi Hatake

Aliases: The Copy-Cat, Kakashi of the Sharingan

Age: 27

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 148 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Sakurai Haruno

Aliases: None

Age: 16

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 115 Lbs

Rank: Genin

Class: B-Rank

* * *

Sayoko Uchiha

Age: 16

Aliases: None

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 110 Lbs

Rank: Genin

Class: B-Rank

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha

Aliases: None

Age: 16

Height 5'5"

Weight: 115 Lbs

Rank: Genin

Class: B-Rank

* * *

Kage Tanaka

Aliases: The Electric Leaf

Age: 19

Height: 6'

Weight: 130 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Sojirou Okamura

Aliases: The Shadow

Age: 22

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 135 Lbs

Rank: Anbu Captain

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Riku Inuzuka

Aliases: The Wolf Queen

Age: 21

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 125 Lbs

Rank: Anbu Officer

Class: A-Rank

* * *

 **I'll continue the Character list in the next chapter**


	12. This is (not) the end

**(The Wings of Freedom-Attack on Titan OP2)**

* * *

Dust. Dust and debris and dirt and smoke everywhere. Dust in your eyes. Dirt in footwear. Smoke in your lungs. And debris in your way. Arashi sat up and threw the debris off of him. A rivulet of blood dripping from his cheek and down his chin. A sharp pain filled his chest with every breath. His ribs creaked and groaned with the movement. Where once there was a giant mountain top, now there was nothing but stones and boulders and craters the size of houses. The skies were dark and full with rain.

"Hah…Hah…Ugh…"

Arashi growled and looked up at Satoshi who sat atop the giant pile of rubble that used to be a large mountain in the distance. Satoshi was covered in covered in debris and dust and dirt. But he did not seem to be hurt at all. Not even one bit. In fact, he bared his teeth as he smiled at Arashi from afar. A look Arashi disliked.

With a quiet groan Arashi stood up. Though he nearly fell to his knees again, as a sharp pain erupted from his knee. _Curse you! You damn priest._ Arashi grit his teeth as he pushed himself up and began to make his way towards Satoshi. With a roar he pushed off the ground and cocked his fist back.

Then bang.

The last thing Arashi saw, or rather heard, before he blacked out was Satoshi, looming, with his dark robes flying in the wind and rain, an amused look taking up most of the features in his bloody, dirty, and smug face. "You're gonna be thanking me later about this. But you've still got a long way to go, Golden God. A long way to go. I would gladly go and meet you again in battle. An honor. An honor that no one has had the pleasure of having. Anyone that has faced me that has lived that is." Then things went black.

Arashi came to that battle, knowing that the chances of beating Satoshi was slim. Very slim. Yet he did not expect this. He thought himself prepared for the battle. Satoshi was nothing but a simple priest right? Right? Arashi knew better, yet that was what he expected. A simple priest. Oh how wrong he was. How very wrong.

How could he have lost? Arashi was the Golden God of Konoha. The strongest. The third SS rank, and youngest, Shinobi Konoha has produced. The fastest Shinobi in the world. The best seal master since his own father and mother. Taught by the best Shinobi in the world. The 3 Sannin, the Sandaime Hokage, his father the Yondaime, his mother, the Red Hot Habanero. It did not make sense how Satoshi had beaten him.

But Satoshi had proved him wrong. The so called Priest of Peace fought like one of the demons he so hated. His strikes were strong enough to crack the ground on contact. Fast enough to break the barrier of sound. And tough enough to endure a **Golden Rasengan** to the gut and only shrug, as if there was a fly on his shoulder. Though admittedly, the **Golden Rasengan** was no longer his strongest technique, and not even used at full power, but still, Arashi expected there to be more of a reaction than a simple shrug.

The **Golden Rasengan** wasn't the only thing that Satoshi shrugged off. Numerous other techniques, A-rank and above. They decimated the landscape, turned it to dust and debris. And yet Satoshi came out of the smoke, unscathed, his robes blowing in the wind, covered in dirt and dust.

It was clear to Arashi that Satoshi did not use his full power either. His punches were holding back an immense power. A power that made Arashi wonder how a priest or monk could become this powerful. The next time Arashi saw Satoshi, which he would, that would be something that Arashi would make sure of, then Arashi would go all out from the beginning. The longer Satoshi lived, the more Arashi feared that his power would grow and grow and grow, until not even Kirei at his peak would be able to stop Satoshi. Though even that, Arashi was skeptical of. Kirei didn't defeat the Princess Kaguya without reason. But the mere thought of that frightened Arashi. And he was not easy to fill with fright.

When Arashi awoke, it was dark. Dark, yet beams of moonlight poured into his room and illuminated the dark, dusty and dreary room. Arashi looked down at his body, wrapped in bandages and tape. Jabbed into his veins was an IV. Arashi frowned and tore the needle out, and threw it off to the side and pressed a finger to the entrance until the wound closed up. Perhaps it was not the brightest idea, but Arashi hated those things. Had he really lost that much blood in his…well he would not call it a battle, encounter with Satoshi?

Something in the shadows croaked. Arashi's cold blue eyes shot over to the right side of his bed. Sitting in a chair, with her head down beside him, was Akane. Her auburn hair, a dull maroon in the sparse light that the moon could spare. She whimpered something and squirm in her sleep. "Arashi…"

The corner of Arashi's lips curled into a slight smile as he took a couple of strands of Akane's long red hair in his hands, and twirled it. A giggle escaped from Akane's lips as she wiggled around.

With a sigh, Arashi ruffled his fiancé's hair and whispered lovingly into her ear. _War is at the horizon, and yet here I am. In the hospital, waiting to be discharged. I cannot remain here long. Not if Konoha is to triumph in this war. Not if we wish to survive._

Konoha had enemies everywhere. As was to be expected with a village that had reigned as the strongest for a long time. And now that it seemed that Konoha was slowly collapsing, their enemies would no doubt be making their move. A move which Iwa had been planning to do for nearly 2 decades. Kumo had just come out of a rebellion and was currently rebuilding. Yet Arashi was not stupid. He knew that Kumo could easily field an army capable of rivalling Konoha. In numbers that is. And maybe even their quality as well.

And Danzo. That one eyed bastard. If Iwa and Kumo didn't destroy Konoha, then surely Danzo would, with his blind patriotism and hatred of all the other villages. His disdain for those he thought beneath him. Arashi was sure that Danzo would make his move soon. That is unless he got his war. That would shut him up for maybe a week before he started to complain that they were becoming complacent and that they should be attacking and attacking and attacking other villages and making them feel Konoha's wrath.

Akane shifted in her sleep and moved slightly, her head laying in his lap. She smiled as Arashi leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Stop it…Stop it…Heehee…" Akane giggled and moved off of her chair and into Arashi's embrace.

"I know you're awake."

Akane giggled as her eyelids parted, her green orbs looking into his own pools of blue. "I know." She giggled once more before kissing the tip of his nose. "When Gai came back with your body, everyone feared the worst. That somehow, someway, something happened to you." Arashi smiled and pulled her deeper into his embrace.

"But not you?"

She pretended to look offended. "But not me. Especially not me. You're too strong to die so young. Too strong to die that way. Too strong. You're the strongest person I know."

 _Am I though?_ "What about your older brother?" _Or what about Shigure Kaguya? Or Kirei Uchiha?_ "He's one of the strongest shinobi alive."

His future wife smiled at him. "Yes, but I hardly know him. To me he's just my brother in name and blood. But I don't consider him my brother. I was only 5 when we lived together, and even then I hardly saw Takahashi. Always off with his sensei, his master, honing his technique, his chakra control. It seemed to me that he cared more for his own abilities than his own siblings. He didn't even care that his younger brother and sister were being taken away. Didn't shed a tear, didn't even flinch."

"You can't know that he didn't care about you. You've never given him a chance. Nor has he ever gotten a chance. Maybe after we've made an alliance with Kumo the three of you can have a little family reunion." Akane frowned and shook her head, pressing her red mane onto his chest. "Or maybe it is better to forget about the whole thing." He added quietly, his voice but a whisper. "The least he could do is at least attend his only sister's wedding. Right?"

Before Akane could respond, the door opened. "So you're awake now. I thought you would wake up earlier actually." Shizune came in, smiling. _Shizune? Oh yeah…Tsunade is here. "_ How are you feeling? You must be feeling well enough, considering…" She blushed as Akane scrambled back onto the seat beside the bed. Shizune giggled before coughing. Her gaze on the IV lying on the floor, seeping IV fluid.

She looked at Arashi with an exasperated look. "Really? I mean, I knew Kenji was one to do stuff like this, but you?" Shizune looked like she wanted to say more. But then she inhaled deeply and exhaled deeply. "It's alright. I was just going to take them out when I arrived anyways. So I suppose you did me a favour. Though if I did it, it wouldn't be as messy." Shizune sighed, wrapping the IV around the machine and wheeling it away into the hall for a nurse to move back to storage or wherever they put those things.

"Now then. Let's check your blood pressure…" Whatever Shizune saw must have satisfied her well enough, as she let out a hum of approval. "That's good. Very good. Now..." She proceeded to give Arashi a series of tests, and he must have been fine, because Shizune smiled and told Arashi that he was free to go. "Though you do have to go down to the receptionist….ah well, I'll do the paperwork."

And do the paperwork she did. Shizune was still at the desk when arguing, when Arashi looked back, Akane in hand, at least a street or two away from the hospital.

The rebuilding process seemed to be going well enough. Wood and contractors, carpenters, engineers and builders and carvers and architects crowded the streets. Following them were scores of workers and other builders and caravans of building supplies and what not. All around them, the noise of hammers of nails, saws cutting through wood, and foremen yelling filled the air. It was noisy yes, but Arashi loved it anyways. The sound of work.

Arashi did not like the sound of silence, if it had a sound. He hated it. It made him restless and made him want action. Though usually he could control his urges. Unlike Kenji or Tsugumi. Himiko had that problem too, before Kirei Uchiha was assigned as her sensei. Afterwards, she almost seemed emotionless for a good year and a half or so. When she and Kenji were sent on that mission with their estranged uncle Yu.

 _That_ brought a smile to his face. They had returned, and it was almost laughable how much of a 180 their relationship had. Now it seemed as if they had always been like this since they were kids. Though Arashi did remember. Before the mission they always seemed to be at each other's throats. Though there was always an underlying meaning to Kenji's teasing and Himiko's Tsundere nature. Arashi had his suspicions about what their relationship was truly like, but he would not pry into his siblings' relationships.

Akane nudged his side and directed Arashi's gaze over to that dango store that Kazuma seemed to be a regular at. And sure enough, there he was. Sitting with his colleague Anko Mitarashi. Orochimaru's former apprentice. Or the Serpent's Bitch, and the Snake's Whore as Arashi had heard some civilians and Shinobi say. They seemed to be having an argument of some sort as they waited for their meals to be served.

As soon as the dango arrived, Anko dropped a couple of coins onto the bar and left the moment she saw Arashi step in. Kazuma raised his finger and Arashi and his fiancé stopped in their tracks. His older brother reached into his pocket and paid for his dango, making sure to leave a tip. Kazuma jerked his head towards the Hokage Residence.

"Good to see you're okay. Not that I had any doubt that you weren't okay. But it's reassuring to see you walking up and about." Arashi nodded stiffly. And then turned over to Akane looked like she needed some sleep.

"I'll see you home later alright? Our house. Not the compound. Our house. You know, the one right across from the compound?" Akane smiled and lightly jabbed Arashi's shoulder as she wandered off into the crowd and into the market square of the Iron Flames district. Then Arashi's hand moved to his pocket, before remembering that he left his wallet at the compound. _Well…I hope she doesn't waste all her money like last time…_

"Now then…What's going on?"

Kazuma frowned. "We sent Menma the Akuma Catalyst. It's a working one but…"

"But what? We have the Akuma Catalyst, the enemy doesn't. As long as we hold onto it, the longer it will take the Cult to accomplish whatever their plan is."

"Yes, an Akuma Catalyst." _An_ Akuma Catalyst? "It is a working Catalyst, but it is not the original one that Ryuunosuke Sarutobi made. It is another Akuma Catalyst."

"Then that means that there are more Catalysts out there." Arashi said through gritted teeth. "This is not good." He turned over to Kazuma who continued to chew on his dango. "But that's not all is there?"

"Uncle Takeo and the Rest of the _**Whirlpool Company**_ had arrived." Kazuma didn't have to say the rest. _So we are preparing for war then…_ Arashi clenched his fist. It was a _really, really_ good thing that Satoshi hadn't injured him at all. _Maybe I will thank you the next time we meet in battle._

* * *

 _Namikaze Compound, Konoha_

 _1:25 p.m._

* * *

"What a nice day." Silence. "What nice clouds." The birds chirped. "The sun sure is bright today!" Naruto rolled over to his stomach, avoiding the depression that formed from Naruko's fist. "What pretty birds. Such nice feathers, such majestic wings." Naruto's smirk grew even bigger as Naruko growled, followed by Sakurai letting out his signature roar. "You know guys, Shikamaru has it all figured out! Cloud watching is the best!" He then flipped and dodged Sasuke's axe kick.

Looking over his shoulder, Naruto knew that that was the right decision. The ground where Sasuke's heel met the ground was cracked and split. Sasuke stepped back and glared at his best friend. Naruto turned his head and looked at Sayoko, who was sitting next to Kakashi, reading from a scroll. Despite what had happened a couple of days ago, everything was…normal…or at least he thought so. She had forgiven Naruto…or at least he thought so. He hoped so. Naruko was still angry with him, though at the same time, his sister was relieved that her twin finally broke the news out to her best friend. Sakurai was a little peeved at how Naruto had done it, but nonetheless was also relieved that Naruto finally did it. Sasuke was pissed. Very pissed. Though, Naruto expected that.

"You mad bro?" Naruto laughed as he twirled around Sasuke's punch and responded with a knee to the gut. Naruto leaped back and caught Naruko's left handed haymaker, intended for his cheek. He winced slightly at the force at which his twin's fist landed in his hand. He grinned cheekily at her and kicked her in the side, sending her flying. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Sasuke dropping in from the trees.

Spinning around, Sasuke flew by Naruto, his leg splitting through a tree like it was butter. Naruto grinned and jumped over to Sayoko and sat down next to her. "Sup." She returned "The nod" before moving her attention back to the scroll. The son of Minato rolled and avoided Sasuke's punch. He had to smile when Sakurai appeared out of nowhere and decked Sasuke in the face. Almost throwing him into the stream the cut the training field in half. If not for Yamato's quick thinking. Their sensei's attention remained fully on his novel though.

Naruto had to say, it was a peaceful week without any perverted comments from Kakashi, though it was rather annoying having to decipher his just as perverted Morse code messages. He grimaced slightly as Naruko's fist lightly grazes his cheek. As he twirled around, Sayoko leapt from her place in the chair and rammed her palm into his gut and sent him flying into her brother. They collapsed on the ground, with Naruto on top of Sasuke.

"Oof!" Naruto felt himself get pushed off and land face first into the ground. There, his sister kicked him in the side. "Yeah, hit me while I'm down and can't defend myself. That'll prove you're better than me-Ow! Fuck!" He groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. Sakurai stuck his hand out, a hand which Naruto gratefully accepted. "Thanks bro."

Only for Sakurai to hook him right in the jaw, sending him crashing down once more. "Should've expected that." Naruto looked up at the rest of his team who all looked smug for some reason. "You get all that out of your system now?" They nodded. Naruto sighed. "And none of you are going to help me up? No? No. Okay." Rising, Naruto dusted off his clothes and reached his out, catching the paper airplane that Kakashi threw at him. Well, at all of them to be exact.

"Before you ask, just read it will you?" Yamato said in place of Kakashi who simply waved at them before turning his attention back to his novel. And so Naruto did. _Chunin Exams huh? Fucking finally. Took what? 3, 4 years for this?_ For the past several years, due to the fragile relations of the villages, and the ongoing rebellions at the time, made it hard for there to be a proper Chunin Exams. Naruto often felt that he should have been made Chunin a long time ago, but knew that trying to convince Arashi for a promotion was like speaking to a brick wall. Impossible to do so.

The next exams were to be held in Kumo in around a week or so. _Is it December already?_ There are usually two exams a year, one in June and one in December. But Naruto was pretty sure that it wasn't yet. Not that it would matter. War was coming. And while it wasn't necessary to be a chunin in order to go to war, but it was preferable.

As it was with every exam, there were three stages. There was always a written stage, so it wasn't necessary to even worry about that. And the last stage was always a tournament. Not that it mattered who the winner was anyways. Unless it did this time.

Naruto was a little surprised though, Kumo was still recovering from their rebellion, that ended, like a month or two ago. So shouldn't they still be rebuilding or something of the sort? Well, not that Naruto would know anyways. "Now, are there any questions?"

No one said anything, though their eyes all met though, with a silent understanding. "Alright then. Dismissed. Feel free to come to either of us if you have any questions or anything of that sort." And with that Yamato left. As did Sakurai who disappeared off to the hospital or some shit. While Sasuke and Sayoko went home. With Sayoko muttering.

"…Need a massage. Or maybe a hot bath." She paused for a second. "…Maybe both…"

As Naruto was about to go and gather his weapons and scrolls, and his ramen, when Sasuke stopped suddenly. "What do you want dude? I'm hungry, and you know what happens when you get in the way of my ramen."

Sasuke snorted and crossed his arms. "Tch. Yeah, I remember what happened last time. I still have the scar to prove it." He said tapping his left bicep, where the scar was. Naruto smirked and bumped fists with Sasuke. "But yeah, can you meet me at the new Patty Queen? You know the one down Senju Dr.? It's a couple of restaurants down from Ichiraku's-"

"Yes, I know where it is. I'll meet ya there at like…say 4 p.m. sharp. Alright? Deal. I'll see ya later, duck butt." Naruto didn't even wait for Sasuke's reply as he sauntered off back into the city and began to make his way to Hokage Mountain. Apparently there some sort of park up there now. According to Natsumi anyways.

 _And of course she was right. Fucking park sprung out of nowhere._ A couple of months ago, Naruto was sure that it was impossible to use the mountain as anything other than a giant landmark or monument for people to see from afar. Though, Naruto was also sure that Menma proposed making some sort of tower on top of it to give Konoha a view of the far river bank down south.

The tower sure would've helped in spotting their attackers a lot earlier, Naruto knew that much. Though, Naruto wasn't sure it would have made a difference. With the giant Chakra beasts and all, Naruto was sure that the tower would've been the first thing that an attacker would target. Destroy any building that might give the defenders line of sight.

But Naruto was kind of glad that there wasn't a tower built. The green and lush grass was new and teeming with flowers and butterflies and whatnot. Here and there, were a few trees, most of them adjacent to the footpaths and bike paths. At the center was a stone clearing with marble statues of Konoha's greatest shinobi. Though it was no surprise to Naruto, that there wasn't a statue of Kirei in sight. In fact, Naruto was pretty sure that anything about the traitor, aside from those found in textbooks, were all destroyed as well.

Naruto himself didn't know much about the man. He was only a child when Kirei abandoned the village. Though not before decimating the Anbu force and beating his father so badly that the Yellow Flash would become nothing but a shell of his former self. Naruto didn't quite know what Kirei did to his father, but it's safe to say, his father was lot faster than he was now. And Minato certainly didn't walk with a slight limp either back then.

Sitting down near the edge, Naruto opened his bag and pulled out his bowl of instant ramen and used a low level fire jutsu to heat it up. Staring at the dark clouds, Naruto ate his ramen. For a while now, the clouds had remained dark and grey and black. It had rained for 3 consecutive days, though today had been one of the few days that weren't just rain days. Not that Naruto minded either. He loved the rain. Always brought out the feeling of satisfaction within him. Naruto didn't know why. He just liked the rain.

Someone was coming up behind him. The grass crunched underneath their feet and broke a couple of twigs that were in their path. Naruto turned his head and caught Kisara's gaze. Her silver eyes twinkling in what little rays of the sun there were.

"So you've finally decided to come out of your little hole eh?" Kisara smirked and sat down beside him, her feet dangling off the edge of the edge of the mountain. "I mean I know your knew apartment is better than whatever shithole you guys used to live at, but you didn't have to stay in the whole week."

"We didn't. Your brother's Fiancé dragged us all around Konoha. Taking shopping, going to the hot springs, going to the Hashirama Memorial Mall, which is needlessly big I have to say, and going out to meet other people. And by that, I mean our "Class". Ugh. Why do I have to go school here? I'm probably smarter than all of them anyways." Kisara complained and pulled out a lollipop from her purse. Which, Naruto was sure she didn't have the last time he visited their apartment.

"Well, if things go according to plan, you'll only be there for a month or so and when Arashi finishes the paperwork you won't have to go to school anymore. Though it would help you guys to at least know people other than me and my team and my family of course." Naruto responded while slurping some noodles. "How's Yukihara doing?"

"Yuki is fine. Though she is a little bit sore from all of the walking we did the last week." At Naruto's incredulous look she laughed. "I know, I know. We can battle for hours on end, and yet we're sore from walking what? 5, 6 Km or some shit? But yeah, she's fine."

 _She might not be in the future. Not if war comes_. Naruto let out a burp as he finished off his meal. "Well, that's good to hear."

"Where's Kazuya?" Naruto didn't actually know what happened to him. Last he knew, Kazuya was thrown into one of the cells down in the interrogation center. "Please. I need to know." Kisara pleaded. Naruto was a little surprised. He did not expect her to do that. "While he may be kind of a dick, he's our dick and I don't know what my sister would do if she finds out that the one she loves is dead…or something."

"To be honest, I don't know what happened to him. Last I heard he was thrown down into one of the interrogation cells underground. If you want I could ask Kazuma-"

"No, it's fine. I didn't like him that much anyways. It's my sister who worries about the bastard." Kisara grumbled.

They sat there for a while, talking. Naruto wasn't sure how long he and Kisara had spent conversing, but by the time he left for Patty Queen to meet Sasuke, the sun had probably set. It was kind of hard to tell though, with the clouds and all that, completely blocking the sun out and only letting partial rays through.

The store, or restaurant rather, did seem new. Not that Naruto would know, he never went to any of the fast food stores that seemed to be a thing nowadays. Inside he spotted Sasuke sitting next to the windows, munching on a burger, with tomato slices. A lot of tomato slices. _How the hell can he eat that?_ Naruto felt himself shiver.

Sasuke saw him and waved him down. With a sigh, Naruto sat down across from his best friend and crossed his arms staring across at Sasuke, waiting for the other to say something. And so they sat in silence for a few minutes, with the crunching of the burger being the only sound in their booth. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, Naruto spoke up.

"Why'd you want to meet in here? You know I don't like fast food places." Sasuke snorted at that and set his burger aside for a second.

"And yet here you are." He took one more bite. "You know why I asked you to meet me here." Naruto's eye twitched. Of course he knew. They would have had this talk earlier, but they had no time. Not when they had to help the rebuilding efforts. Which would no doubt be useless, as when war came, as would the destruction of the village. Inevitable. Inevitable. Not if. When.

"Yeah. I do. But what is there to talk about? I've done what should have been done a long time ago. Something that you actually wanted me to do."

"Tch. No. Not the way you did it. I expected you to do it right at the beginning, not in Senju Park, the most symbolic place for the confession of one's love in the entire village." Sasuke shot back, tearing off a chunk of the patty angrily. At which Naruto laughed.

"Well how did you want to do it? No matter what I did, no matter how I said it, it would not end well. Not at all. Even if I said things differently, Sayoko would still be sobbing her eyes out in the rain, laughing bitterly at the shooting star that passes by. No. Nothing could have been done to avert the result."

"Nothing aside from you revealing the truth at the very beginning anyways." Naruto laughed once more.

"Yes. That's true. I could have done it earlier and maybe spared her a few litres of body fluids, but you're right."

"Look, I didn't come here to argue about this alright?'

"Then what, did you want to meet here for?" At Sasuke's look, Naruto knew. "Oh. The Exams huh. Well, I suppose that something bad could happen there. Something very bad. But I'll trust that Kumo knows what would happen in the children of the Yellow flash should be killed in anyway."

"Yes, there's that. But I worry about Sayoko." _What?_ "She may act like what happened doesn't matter to her and that it doesn't hurt, but it does. She hasn't been herself lately. It's been so quiet around the compound lately, that it's quite unnerving actually. And she's more reckless now, not that she wasn't before. But I think that she doesn't care what happens to her anymore. And…"

"And nothing. Sayoko will be fine. There isn't anyone at that exam who would be able to beat her. Aside from us that is. There is no one. You worry a little much Sasuke."

Sasuke sighed and finished his meal before continuing. "I just hope you're right."

 _So do I._ Naruto wanted to say.

* * *

 _Edo, the Land of Fire_

 _10:00 a.m._

* * *

Boring. That's what this godforsaken council meeting was. They had no idea what the hell they were doing. Konoha could take care of itself. It doesn't need their help. Menma sighed and leaned back as another one of the councilmen stood up and began to speak. If grotesque screaming and wailing and whining could count as that. Beside him, Ryuunosuke stood at attention, and occasionally responded to any questions thrown his way and would sometimes state his opinion. An opinion which was ignored by everyone who didn't matter. The Daimyo was a good man, Menma knew, always listening to all of his advisers, even the ones who have no clue what they're doing, and always took it to heart.

Menma never paid any attention to any of the meetings. None of what was being said mattered to him. And none of what he said mattered to the snakes that called themselves councilmen. He only ever voiced his opinion every now and then, and even so, they paid no heed to whatever Menma said, citing his youth as inexperience.

And now was no different. Menma rolled his eyes as an argument broke out among a couple of councilmen, and seemed like a fight would break out. Oh how funny that would be. Menma turned his head to the only other person he trusted in this room aside from Ryuunosuke and the young Daimyo. Ryugi, the young captain of the Daimyo's bodyguard.

He was very young, being only a year or two older than Menma. And considering how most of his contemporaries were at least a decade older than Ryugi, it was impressive. Ryugi was the son of a prominent noble of some sort from Iron and had offered his son as a ward to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.

"Cheer up Menma. The meeting's about to be over." And that it was. Whenever tensions ran high, or it seemed likely that a fight would break out, the Daimyo would adjourn the meeting and dismiss everyone. That he did. The Daimyo had a headache and dismissed everyone, when he would usually have Ryuunosuke stay for something.

With the farce of a meeting over, Menma made his back to his house, where Kanade had now moved in. The house was not that big, so as to conserve space in the already cramped city of Edo. It was modern in design and was composed more of concrete, metal and ceramic than wood and stone. Most of the newer buildings in the city were modernized and all of the important buildings of old were being renovated. Though that meant tearing down the wooden walls and replacing them with concrete, which could take a while.

Menma turned his head to look into the living room, and saw Saori and her friends, the twins Lin and Ren, playing a board game of all things. They were absorbed in the game to pay attention to Menma though. So Menma slipped off his shoes and made his way up the oak wood stairs to his bedroom and threw off his fancy clothes and shrugged on a white and gray long-sleeved shirt and black pants.

With a sigh, Menma sat down on his bed. On his bed, sleeping soundly for real this time, with the covers and sheets up to her head, was Kanade. Menma turned and looked at the cube on his desk. He stood up, picked it up and sat back down on the bed. _Is it really a surprise that they managed to replicate this? If the rumours about the Tyrant of Smoke being a genius of the highest degree are true then, should I really even be surprised?_ He wasn't.

He ran a finger through the intricate grooves and lines etched into the cube and was confounded by the pulsing wave of energy every time his hand ran across the large circular gap in the center. From what Ryuunosuke gathered, that was where the power source was supposed to go. What kind of power source it was, not even its creator knew. But the more Menma thought about it, the more he was convinced he knew what to use it for.

After a good minute or so, Menma made his way to the basement, or as Saori called it, his workshop, which in every sense of the word it was. There was a large wooden desk that ran along the corner and took up two walls. Countless displays and racks for his tools were strewn about and his latest project lay in the center, with its parts scattered, the frame a few feet to the side.

 _Maybe this will work. Maybe not._ With a grunt Menma began to work, putting the pieces together on his generator. He looked up at the blueprint that he bolted to the wall in front of him and couldn't help but think that he should have made it bigger. _But oh well._ A minute later, and the rough form of a generator was complete. He then grabbed the frame and spent a good minute, fusing it to the generator.

Menma then reached into his pocket and pulled out the Catalyst. It was small enough that it would fit into the generator's battery, but would it work. Well, Menma first needed to find some way to give the Catalyst life. His green eyes, which he was certain was the only green eyes in his family, darted around the room, looking for…something. And then he saw it. It glowed in the dim light of the basement, and was transparent. Even in the corner of the room where it was, Menma could see the chakra radiating off of it.

A Chakra Diamond. Menma was lucky enough to have found 2 of them during a trip to the lands north of the Elemental Nations. He knew that they literally cost a fortune, with each of them going for…maybe 25 million ryo, give or take. But Menma had no use for that money. So he stuffed the two of them in his workshop and hoped that someday he would find a use for it.

And now he had. Gingerly picking the diamond up, Menma slowly and carefully inserted it into the cube. He kept pushing it in until the cube made a clicking sound and he could no longer even move the crystal. The cube then began to hum and Menma could hear the small gears inside of it whir to life. Then Menma twisted the diamond clockwise until the cube made another clicking sound. This time, the sound of gears moving was overshadowed by the unbelievable bright glow of the crystal. The intricate lines and grooves had become tiny rivers of energy, filled with bright and glowing energy of some sort.

Setting the cube aside on his desk, Menma went over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a sort of energy reader of some sort. He still didn't quite know what to call it. Menma held it near the cube. The device began to hum as the meter on the small screen it displayed began to go haywire until the device itself broke.

"Guess that settles it. Maybe this will work. And maybe I can finally get this goddamned generator to work."

He slowly screwed off the top lid of the generator where the battery was supposed to go. And then Menma inserted the Catalyst inside, slowly, carefully, patiently, until he heard a confirming click. "There we go…" He then closed the lid and took a step back. The generator seemed to be working alright, the sound of gears and whatnot whirring and tumbling.

Menma had to go and see if the generator could actually work. So he grabbed a scroll from the desk and sealed the generator within. Menma then made the 10 minute walk to his actual workshop downtown, where one of the satellites stood, with a working energy converter. No one was there, not this late at night.

Except for Ryuunosuke. He leaned against the wall adjacent to the satellite. "I've been expecting you."

"Were you waiting for me to use the catalyst?"

That caught his mentor off guard. "Not really. I was expecting you to come here with the Chakra Diamonds in tow…But the Catalyst? And you made it work?" Menma nodded. "Why…Why didn't see it earlier… You've already inserted the diamonds into the catalyst." A nod. "And you've inserted the catalyst into the generator?" Another nod. "Okay. Put it in."

5 minutes later and the generator was now inside, giving the satellite some life. Ryuunosuke took a step back. "Now we have to test its power. There should be an empty field a couple of kilometres from the city that we could use. It should only take us a half an hour to get there at the least." Then Menma sealed the satellite within the scroll and they made their way out of the city. Though it took maybe a good twenty minutes.

"Maybe we should've have waited until tomorrow!" Ryuunosuke shook his head and picked up the pace. "I mean I don't think I can do this on an empty stomach you know!" Ryuunosuke ignored him this time. "Come on! Don't you have something I could eat?" Then Ryuunosuke's arm blurred and he plucked something out of the air and threw it toward Menma. It was a flying squirrel. "I'm not eating this!"

"Then don't."

They landed on a hill overlooking the clearing. There was not as tree to be seen for kilometres and the only other feature of the land worth noting would have been the small river the cut the field in half.

"Is this field even big enough?"

"It is big enough for our purposes. Now we must hurry." And then a minute later the satellite hummed and glowed. "Tell me Menma, do you know any Jutsu?" Menma shook his head. Unlike the other members of his family, his chakra reserves were pitiful really, and he never bothered with training or anything of the sort. Focusing more on science and logic rather than brute strength. Which is why Ryuunosuke Sarutobi took a liking to him. "I see. Well, I suppose we don't need a target to see just how powerful this satellite really is."

And with that, Menma turned the knob up to full power on the Satellite and waited for it to charge up with energy, his left hand on the trigger. "There had to be an easier way to activate this." Menma would have to solve that later.

"It's at full power…On your command." Ryuunosuke stated. A glowing ball of energy at the mouth of the satellite.

"Alright. In 3…" The ball began to contort and twist. "…2…" The ground underneath their feet began to rumble vibrate with the force of an earthquake. "…1…" The sound of the satellite was deafening. "….0."

Menma didn't see what happened after the blast, for he was immediately knocked down to the ground. The sound of the blast was so loud that he was sure that his eardrums had been blown out. Lifting his head, Menma surveyed the field. Or what remained could even be called a field anymore.

The entire field was charred. As far as Menma could see, there was not a single speck of green or brown left that could be seen. The river had all but evaporated. Even the mountain, which Menma was sure was hundreds of kilometres away, had been hit. He could see a massive crater in the mountain side.

Menma knew that the power of the Chakra Diamond was immense. But he had not expected this. He turned to meet his mentor, who had the same look on his face.

"Well…that worked spectacularly."

* * *

 _Somewhere_

 _10:01 a.m._

* * *

"Well, is this it? Is this the safe house you give me? Please tell me you're joking?" Yukimura resisted the urge to punch Suzuki's face and instead, sat down on one of the many chairs that littered the safe house. She was tired. Not from the journey, oh it took over a week to get here and they encountered many bandits, but that was not the problem. Oh that was not the problem. If that was the problem, Yukimura would have gladly accepted that.

No, the problem, was _him_. Suzuki Hirano. The Silver Tongued Merchant King, they called him in the Black Market. And Yukimura could see why. Suzuki was no ordinary merchant, who gave in at the sight of money. Suzuki was smart. He wanted more than money. He wanted weapons, information, and people…Your soul even.

It was funny to see a man give up his soul for a measly loaf of bread which Suzuki was already charging at an astonishing price, very well 100 times what it was actually worth. Yet the man accepted and even offered to give Suzuki his newborn son for the entire basket of bread. Suzuki denied of course. He was a merchant. Not a baby sitter.

"Yes. This is one of the safe houses that was promised. Not all of them moron. This isn't even the best one. You'll see." The arms dealer sneered at her and went to the storage room, presumably to check the stock. Though Yukimura was absolutely sure that no one had ever even used this safe house before.

Sighing, she stood up from her seat and unfastened her vest and dropped it unceremoniously on top of one of the many tables that littered the room. Yukimura then removed her helmet and placed it next to her vest. She thought about removing her harness, but that meant putting her swords away…not something Yukimura wanted to do when alone with a criminal of Suzuki's caliber.

Suzuki may not have the power of a Kirei, or the intelligence of an Orochimaru, but Yukimura wasn't sure if there was anything with a more silver tongue than Suzuki Hirano. Both Natsumi and Kimiko warned her of that. _Do they seriously think that I can't look after myself? That I need them to warn me of that?_

Yukimura looked for Suzuki. Waiting for him to come out of the storage room so that they could continue their journey to the Trading Capital of the World, Sapporo in the Land of Iron. 5 minutes had gone by and still Suzuki was nowhere to be seen. Yukimura smirked. _Did he really have the gall to try and escape from me? Hah. What a moron._

Removing her harness, and pulling out one of her swords, Yukimura crouched and slowly made her way to the slightly open door of the storage room. She scanned the room and spotted…a boy. A teen actually. _Wait a minute…_ Yukimura sighed, stood up and made her way over to the teen, boy, man…whatever he was.

And then she stepped on a soda can. Startled the boy turned around and Yukimura knew without a doubt who it was. He had Suzuki's short black hair, rotten hazel eyes and had that small scar that ran down his left cheek. "You-What are you doing here!?"

"Checking up on you to make sure you didn't run off. And instead I come upon this. Are you-"

"Am I Suzuki? Yes. Yes I am." The boy snapped and pulled up his hood. Or he would have, but Yukimura thrust her hand in and threw the boy into the wall. "What are you doing?" Suzuki growled as his body slid down the wall and onto his ass. He turned his gaze slightly away as Yukimura lowered herself to his level. A slight blush tinted Suzuki's cheeks.

"Why are you blushing?"

Suzuki laughed. "Hah. Me. Blushing? At you? Hah! I don't know who you think you are, but don't think s-someone like you could ever make me blush." He spat. Yukimura frowned. Something in his voice made Yukimura think that he was going to say something different.

She looked closer at his features. And Yukimura could swear that she recognized Suzuki from somewhere. Somewhere…Yukimura had known that Suzuki did spend his childhood in Konoha. And he did seem to be around her age…Yukimura was brought out of her musings by Suzuki's sneer. "Well? What are we going to do now?"

"You're going to explain how a 30 year old man became a teenager."

"A teenager. I do not look like a teenager to you?"

"Um yes?"

"Well I'm not."

"That still doesn't explain why you look younger all of a sudden!" Suzuki furrowed his brow.

"What do you mean?" It was then that Yukimura realized that Suzuki did not know the situation he was in. "What. Do. You. Mean!?" He then looked down at his body and ran a hand through his hair. "…No, it can't be…Quick. Get me a mirror."

"Not until-"

"Now!" And so Yukimura did, grumbling all the way. By the time she returned, Suzuki was in full panic mode. "Give it to me." He roughly tore the mirror from her hand and looked at himself intently. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! Fuck!"

"Okay…what's going in? Tell me now?"

Suzuki laughed and held his head in his hands. "It ran outta time."

"What do you mean?"

"My technique." _Technique?_ "It was a special jutsu I used to hide my identity. I've been using it for years since I was a kid. And now it's run out of time."

"What do you mean?"

Suzuki ignored her. "That old bitch Rika was right. It would only last till I met you again. I should never had agreed to that Ice Queen's stupid deal. But I don't think even she knew…"

"What are you talking about?" Suzuki grew silent, "Please. Tell me?"

He looked back up at her and sighed. "Maybe this will bring back some memories, Yuki-chan…"

And then he kissed her.

* * *

 **(Reluctant Heroes-Attack on Titan OST)**

* * *

 **And that is the end of this arc and on to the...well, not the Chunin exams arc…but…ah well…you'll see.**

* * *

 **Kiri**

* * *

Yagura

Alias: None

Height: 4'6"

Weight: 85 Lbs

Rank: Kage

Class: S-rank

* * *

Shigure Kaguya

Alias: The Queen of Bones, the First Blade of Ryujin

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 115 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: SS-Rank

* * *

Misaki Koizumi

Alias: The Third Blade of Ryujin

Height: 5'1"

Weight: 95 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: A-Rank

* * *

 **Kemuri City**

* * *

Rika Akabane

Alias: The Tyrant of Smoke, the Heartless Witch, the Living Demoness, the Sorceress Bitch.

Height: 5'10"

Weight: 110 Lbs

Rank: Queen

Class: SS-Rank

* * *

Kazuto Hikigaya

Alias: The Demon Swordsman, the Undead Sword

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 175 Lbs

Rank: N/A

Class: S-Rank

* * *

Kei Arima

Alias: The White Sword

Height: 6'

Weight: 146 Lbs

Rank: N/A

Class: S-rank

* * *

Shirome Shogo

Alias: None

Height: 4'9"

Weight: 90 Lbs

Rank: N/A

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Hayato Kujo

Alias: None

Height: 6'1

Weight: 135 Lbs

Rank: N/A

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Hayama Kujo

Alias: The Steward

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 135 Lbs

Rank: N/A

Class: A-Rank

* * *

 **The Rebels**

* * *

Kagami Akiyama

Alias: The Phantom of Smoke

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 140 Lbs

Rank: N/A

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Kazuya Hikigaya

Alias: None

Height: 5'8

Weight: 130 Lbs

Rank: N/A

Class: A-Rank

* * *

Kisara Shiyo

Alias: None

Height: 5'4"

Weight: 115 Lbs

Rank: Civilian

Class: B-Rank

* * *

Yukihara Shiyo

Alias: None

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 118 Lbs

Rank: Civilian

Class: B-Rank

* * *

 **The Cult:**

* * *

Satoshi

Alias: The Envoy

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 145 Lbs

Rank: Grand Master

Class: SS-Rank

* * *

Kirei Uchiha

Alias: The Traitor, the False One, the Chosen One

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 150 Lbs

Rank: Jonin

Class: ?-Rank

* * *

Suzuki Hirano

Alias: The Silver Tongued Merchant King

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 110 Lbs

Rank: Civilian

Class: C-Rank


	13. Flash of Red

**(Colours-Code Geass OP1)**

* * *

 _The Countryside of the Land of Fire_

 _7:05 P.M._

* * *

When Takeo first got word of the attack, his first thought was, "Told ya so Minato." Which he was still going to do when he got there! Now, they were on their way to help reinforce the Konoha Shinobi force. Takeo was not a strategist, or a tactician by any means, he was more of a grunt. A really good grunt at that too. And even he could tell, that Kumo had ulterior motives behind the Chunin Exams. Which was why, they were on their way to Konoha, to help protect it in case shit hits the fan. Which it most likely would.

Takeo felt that was waste of his talents though. He was the greatest swordsman alive! He should be out there on the frontlines! Decapitating fools and cutting anyone who would stupid enough to attack him in half! Even though hadn't explicitly stated that, Takeo was sure that that's all he and his crew would be doing. Though, if he was wrong, then Takeo owned Ayato 10 000 ryo.

They had been on the road for a week or so now, a week after they got Minato's message. The **Whirlpool Company** had been in the middle of mission then, but it's wasn't really that important, something about some fool named Gato who thought he was some warlord or some big shit. If Takeo remembered correctly, the fat bastard shit himself when Tsubaki, a woman, beat all of his thugs in the blink of an eye. _What happened to that fat asshole? I don't remember…Ah, it doesn't matter._

That had been a week ago. Now they were on the Road of Fire. The main highway that ran through the entire Land of Fire, and went directly through both Konoha and Edo. Normally, it would be chock full of traders, merchants, tourists, foreign dignitaries and the occasional samurai's patrolling, and bandit's robbing. Now it was just Samurai and bandits. Though the bandits seemed a bit scarcer now that the **Whirlpool Company** had showed up. Or so Takeo would like to think.

The Red Lightning Bolt was brought out of his musings by Ayato, who tapped him on the shoulder. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm thinking about stuff? And no Ayako, I'm not thinking about Jiraiya's newest Icha-Icha. Actual stuff."

His auburn haired comrade scoffed and crossed her arms. "Oh yeah? What stuff? There's more smut out there than the garbage that Jiraiya writes."

"Yeah you would know." Kanjou coughed, inciting a fist to the head. Ayato coughed loudly, getting their attention once more.

"We should be close to Fukatsu Town now. Only a couple of Kilometres away. Then maybe we could get some rest, food, rest, maybe socialize, rest, rest, and did I mention rest?"

"If it isn't a ghost town, like the dozen other towns and villages we've gone past." Takeo replied, and picked up the pace. "But, hey, who knows!?" He then vanished in a red blur, kicking up dust into the air. And his deep baritone voice was all that was left behind of him. "See ya there suckers!" And then everyone else sighed.

By the time the rest of his crew caught up, it was dusk and the moon was already high in the sky. The town was indeed full of life, and it seemed to Takeo that the town was holding a festival of sorts, if the dozens of vendors, stores, and innumerable number of civilians wandering the streets were of any indication. Though, Takeo didn't know why there was a festival on, especially with tensions so high and war right over the horizon.

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of his stomach rumbling. Loudly too. Very loudly. Loud enough that some people stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Takeo looked around at all the onlookers, and rubbed the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. "Guess I'm really hungry huh?"

One of the passerby's offered to take Takeo to a nearby restaurant. And to Takeo's surprise and excitement and confusion all at the same time, it was a ramen restaurant. A branch of Konoha's Famous Ichiraku Ramen. The woman who brought him there smiled eerily, and sat down at the bar.

Takeo paid the uneasy feeling he had felt then and ordered several bowls of the day's specialty ramen. All the while the mysterious woman sat next to him and ate the dango that they were serving as a side dish. _Hmm. Better the old man back in Konoha what they're doing here. No Ichiraku's of his is going to serve dango with ramen! No way._

The woman had long since finished her meal by the time Takeo had finished and was just…not staring at Takeo. It was more likely that she was observing him, analyzing, and sizing him up. Why, Takeo didn't know, and he certainly didn't like it.

"So…This is the Red Lightning Bolt, Uzumaki Takeo." Takeo stiffened slightly, before turning to look at the woman. She had jet black hair, with coal for eyes. Her grin was a bit unsettling, and only then did Takeo see the pommel of a Katana peeking out from her black cloak. _A swordswoman then. A fan? A really, devoted fan maybe?_ Takeo almost shuddered at the thought. He had too many of those back in his prime days. Back when Uzu was still standing. Being talented with a sword back in Uzu was like being good at music today. And being the best Swordsman during his time…it was safe to say that Takeo had a lot of fans.

"Uh, yeah…that's…me. Do you want an autograph maybe? Do you want me to sign your sword or your chest or something?" Takeo almost felt like smacking himself upside the head for saying that. Some people looked at him weirdly, and the woman laughed.

"Oh, if you were in your prime maybe. In your prime I heard that you were fast enough to cut a bolt of lightning in half with your sword." That was true…for the most part. He did cut a bolt of lightning in half. Two actually. "I also heard that you were so fast that you it seemed like you could strike 3 times at once. But you were just that fast weren't you?"

"I was. That was 50 years ago. Back before the Third Raikage snapped my sword arm in half at least." Takeo eventually regained usage of his right hand, but he had grown used to using his left in battle. Though he didn't have the speed he used to have, and he didn't have the power to rip through multiple meters concrete anymore.

"Yes. Back then you were rumoured to be able to split an entire boat in half." Takeo laughed. He didn't cut the boat in half. Maybe into thirds, but not half. And by the end of the ordeal, he had to get a new sword entirely. Not something he wanted to do again.

"But I'm not here to reminisce on an old man's prime years."

Everyone in the restaurant froze when the woman drew her sword and place it at Takeo's neck. All faster than a blink of an eye. _What speed! She's fast._ He almost didn't see her draw her katana, but that was because Takeo was paying for his meal. Takeo grinned and put his left hand on Raimaru. "So you want a duel eh?" He looked out into the sky. _Hmm. The sun is setting. I have to be at Konoha by tomorrow evening. I suppose one duel wouldn't hurt..._

The woman nodded and stood up. Takeo looked around at the restaurant, "I'm so sorry. Please continue with your meals!" Before going after the mysterious lady.

She led him to an isolated area next to the river that cut the town in half. With a grin on her face, the woman drew her sword and got into a stance. _Phantom Darkness Style, eh? Haven't faced a user of that since Raiko Akabane. Heh. This ought to be good._

"May I please have your name at least? Since you clearly know who I am. I would like to know my opponents name." She smiled.

"Aiza. Aiza Kyoko." _That's not her real name. But it'll do for now, "Kyoko-san"!_

Takeo himself threw his short, hooded cloak off to the side and drew Raimaru from his scabbard. And then she attacked. He didn't see her move. But Takeo felt it, and let instincts and knowledge of the Phantom Darkness Style take over. He whipped his blade across and parried Kyoko's downward slash. Though Takeo was unprepared for the lightning quick response. And once again he let his instincts take over, as he blocked the upward strike with the hilt of Raimaru.

"Irregular Guarding. Nice." Takeo spun on a dime and slashed at her head. Kyoko deftly deflected Raimaru off the edge of her sword, and thrust it forward at Takeo's chest. Takeo twirled around and away for jab and swing Raimaru down at Kyoko's exposed shoulder. Only for Kyoko to spin out and slash at Takeo's side, lightly cutting his shirt.

"You're pretty fast for an old guy!" She called out. "But are you fast enough to stop this?"

Takeo narrowed his eyes as Kyoko gripped her katana tightly with two hands, bring them into her body and thrust forward. Only then, was Takeo able to get a grasp on Kyoko's skill. He felt not one, but two, simultaneous thrusts, penetrate his body. One in the shoulder, the other in his arm. Takeo didn't even get a chance to try and counter her move. _The hell!? Did she just…_

Kyoko grinned. "How'd you like that?" Takeo stepped back and gave Kyoko a grin of his own.

"It was nice. Could've been better though. Here…Let the master show you…how…it's…done!" He launched at her as fast as he could and thrusted at Kyoko's left shoulder, fully expecting her to stand still frozen, unable to keep up with him. Takeo realized how wrong he was when Kyoko deflected his thrust and kicked him in the stomach.

"Too slow old man!"Takeo didn't even have a chance to react to Kyoko's movements, as she vanished and reappeared in front of him, her blade against his throat. _Hell no! I'm not letting myself get beaten that easily!_ He spun and dodged a slash that would have left a _very_ nasty scar on his neck. Assuming that that was what Kyoko was going after.

Takeo grimaced as he tilted his body to avoid the incoming thrust, and thrusted back at Kyoko's chest area. He would have cut her, had Raimaru been a bit longer. But alas, Raimaru fell short. Kyoko's sword on the other hand, cut right through chest. Though it missed all the vital organs. Somehow.

With a grunt, Takeo slammed his elbow down onto Kyoko's sword, shattering it into two pieces, one of which stayed in his chest. He then grabbed the jagged edge of the remnant of the blade that stayed in his chest and flung it at Kyoko who pulled another katana out of her cloak, and deflected it.

"That sword cost a lot you know."

Takeo snorted. "As if. If it was, it wouldn't have broken so easily. But I can tell you're not even taking this seriously. Are you?" Kyoko smiled.

"How could you tell?"

"I was the greatest swordsman of my time. I was destined to wield the Sword of Light. I can tell when someone is holding back. And I have to say, you're holding back a lot." Kyoko could have given Tsugumi a run for money, should the two ever fight. Takeo was sure of that much. And he was sure that Kyoko would not even have to try. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to give you a better fight. Guess, my age is finally catching up to me."

"Oh don't worry. I doubt you would have been able to give me a good fight even if you were still in your prime old man." Takeo frowned. He wasn't sure about that.

"Confidence is fine, but arrogance…" Takeo twisted his body to the side, dodging Kyoko's lunge, and brought his knee to her stomach. Only for Kyoko to disappear and reappear above. Stepping away, Takeo managed to avoid getting split in half. Takeo then rammed his shoulder into Kyoko's and slashed diagonally, just barely grazing her clothing. She shrugged it off and spun off into a corkscrew, her blade nothing but a blur. Takeo raised Raimaru just in time, and blocked her strike. He winced as their clashing blades produced some sparks that went into…unwanted places.

"Come on old man! You can do better than this!" Kyoko called out, ducking under a couple of swipes and slashes, and then spinning out before reengaging the fight. Takeo smiled. _Let's see just how good you are at the Phantom Dragon Style._ He jumped back and sheathed Raimaru, before unleashing one of the Phantom Dragon Style's signature techniques.

" _Phantom Darkness Style: Phantom Dragon Slash!"_ She shouldn't have been able to block it, let alone react to it. But Kyoko knew the counterattack to the technique itself.

" _Phantom Darkness Style: Darkness Dragon Flash!"_ Takeo grit his teeth and winced as their blades clashed. His eyes began to widen as cracks began to appear along Raimaru's edge. With a growl, Takeo stepped away from the engagement. His biggest mistake. Kyoko's grin grew wider as she disappeared at an insane speed. Vanishing from even Takeo's sight.

"What!? Ugh!" Takeo fell to his knee's as Raimaru slowly fell from his grasp, Kyoko standing behind him, her cloak spread out in the air, her katana glinting in the moonlight against his neck. _H-how!? I didn't even see her…Is she that fast?_

"You're slow old man. That wasn't even half as fast as I can be, and you still couldn't see me. Tch. You were disappointing." Kyoko sighed, before leaning into Takeo's ear. "Then again, what should I have expected? You're thirty years past your prime and you can't use your dominant hand without it shaking. You should've re-"

"HEY!" _Ayato?_

Kyoko sneered at him before sheathing her sword and raising her foot and blocking Ayato's downward slash. All in the blink of an eye. After a second, Tsubaki appeared from behind and thrust her katana, Shikama-Doji at Kyoko's exposed back. But she must have heard Tsubaki draw Shikama-Doji from her scabbard, because Kyoko flipped backwards. Ayato nearly stumbled into Tsubaki's thrust and nearly got his head run through. Thankfully though, Takeo deflected Shikama-Doji away. The Red Lightning Bolt turned his head to the laughing Kyoko, who was only but a few meters away. Soon enough the rest of the Whirlpool Company arrived.

"It's been nice and all, Red Lightning Bolt, but you've disappointed me. And your niece, the Blood Princess of Konoha couldn't do any better either." Before any of them could react, Kyoko was gone in a black flash, just barely visible in the sunset.

Ayato sheathed Murasame and straightened his body. "Who was that? And why was she attacking you? What does she mean that Tsugumi couldn't do any better?"

Takeo sighed and sat down in the grass. "That was Aiza Kyoko. Better known as the Keiko Arima, or the Black Sword." There was simply no one else in the world who had that kind of speed and skill with a sword aside from Keiko Arima and maybe Ayato. And if Takeo believed what her father, Kai had said, then Keiko had the potential to surpass himself, and maybe even the greatest swordsman of all time, his ancestor, Akashi Uzumaki. The Scarlet Hurricane. "Not that I'm not gratefully at all, but…how did you find me?"

Ayako frowned. "You used the Darkness Dragon Flash. We could have sensed you from a mile away. And then you did the Phantom Dragon Slash as well." She turned to look in the direction in which "Kyoko" disappeared to. "But if she's really the Black Sword…"

"Then Tsugumi has no chance." Ayato finished. "And knowing our cousin, she's going to go after the Black Sword, looking for a rematch she will inevitably lose. But then again, knowing Tsugumi, nothing we say will be able to convince her against that either. So we'll have to hope for the best." Takeo noticed Ayato's hand twitch to the seal on his arm.

"Ayato. If things come to it…you may have to step in and stop Tsugumi." Ayato nodded curtly. "But…try not to use _it._ " Again, Ayato nodded. "Now boys and girls! Onward to Konoha!"

* * *

 _Senju Drive, Konoha_

 _9:31 p.m. the day after_

* * *

"Hah…Hah…ugh…man I'm really fucking sweaty. Damn!" Tsugumi gasped out between breathes, as she sat down cross-legged in the Namikaze Compound Dojo, Yuki-Hime across her lap. All around her, were destroyed, and absolutely mangled robotic dummies. _Good thing Menma has an 'infinite' number of these dummies._ She reached out for her flask of water. After taking a big, long gulp, Tsugumi set it back down.

With a sigh, she pulled over her sweaty muscle shirt and wiped her head and neck and armpits and threw it across the room into the laundry basket that Kushina had the good sense of putting. "Damnit. These sports bras are a bit too tight!" She wheezed out and took another drink of water. With a groan she stood up and made her way back up to her room.

After changing into another, less tight, bra, Tsugumi slipped on a black long-sleeved shirt. Tsugumi then made her way downstairs to the dining room where the rest of her siblings and mom were. Including Arashi, who Tsugumi thought was still in the hospital.

Seated around the table were not only her siblings and mother, but her uncle and cousins as well. Takeo looked pretty much the same as Tsugumi remembered. Though Tsugumi had never seen less red hair on a pure blooded Uzumaki before. Maybe old age was finally catching up to the Red Lightning Bolt. And maybe she would have a chance to finally beat him. But then again, knowing his sneaky old ass, she would still lose. Takeo sat opposite to Kushina.

Beside him was Tsubaki. She and Tsugumi looked nearly identical. The same Uzumaki red hair. The same Uzumaki green eyes. The only difference was in height. Both of hair and body. Their voices were also very hard to tell apart. Though Tsubaki did have more of a maritime accent. Heck, even their names were similar!

Across from Tsubaki, sitting quietly and eating his meal as quickly and efficiently as possible, was Ayato. He looked the least Uzumaki out of her cousins, and Tsugumi heard from her mother that Ayato got his look from his father, who was not an Uzumaki. Ayato's mother wasn't even a pure blooded Uzumaki. She was a half blood and was Kushina's cousin. Ayato had short maroon coloured hair. If there was one thing that solidified Ayato as an Uzumaki, it was his eyes. He had the bright green of the Uzumaki and was often said to look like Uzumaki Saito, his and Tsugumi's grandfather.

Beside her quarter blooded cousin, was Kanjou, who if Tsugumi remembered correctly was a bit of a jokester. He looked like a prototypical Uzumaki. Red hair, green eyes, slightly taller than average. He was busy chatting away with Kenji and Himiko. Sitting next to him was Ayako.

Ayako was, to most people's surprise, not Ayato's twin sister. They were just named similarly. Ayako was the only other pure-blooded member of the Whirlpool Company. And she was also the second oldest. Even still, she was nearly 50 younger than Takeo.

Tsugumi could beat just about all of them. All except for Takeo and Ayato. Though Tsugumi was so sure that she could beat Takeo is ever given the chance. Ayato though…

"Oh hey Tsugumi." Tsugumi was snapped out of her musings by her cousin moving to sit down next to her on the couch and join her in watching the Defenders of the Nebula. Which Naruko for some reason bought rather than use her position as the daughter of the Hokage to get it for free. Ayato smiled at her. "How's it going?"

"Oh you know. That usual. Wake up. Eat. Spend the entire morning practicing my technique. Eat. Spend the next 3 hours meditating. Eat again. Then train until it's time to bed." Ayato chuckled and put a hand on his sword, Murasame. Tsugumi felt herself twitch.

"That's good. You know. Practice makes perfect. Soon, maybe you'll finally be able to beat our uncle." Tsugumi scoffed and Ayato chuckled nervously. "Is something wrong?"

"Are you trying to say that I can't beat Old Man Takeo? He's freaking 60 something years old!"

"True. But, he was once the best swordsman of his time and one of the greatest of all time. He's had thousands of battles of experience." Ayato chided her. Huffing Tsugumi stood up and walked up towards Takeo, her hand moving to Yuki-Hime. "Um…Gumi? What are you doing?" Ayato stood up, looking nervous.

In a flash, Yuki-Hime was free from her prison and imbedded into the wall next to Takeo's neck. Said old man, was simply smirking at his niece. Takeo then reached up and pulled Yuki-Hime out of the wall. Takeo sauntered over to the door that led out to the backyard. "Care to take this outside, O' niece of mine?" Tsugumi lunged forward, her sword swinging through thin air. Everyone else merely sighed and groaned.

Kushina poked her head out the window. "Try not to hurt Tsugumi's feelings too badly Takeo!" Tsugumi turned her head over her shoulder sharply and glared at her mother, who simply smiled at her.

"Hey! Pay attention!" Takeo roared, flipping through the air, his leg smashing into Tsugumi's side. "I thought you learned from last time!"

"I did!" Tsugumi snarled and charged forward. Ready to finally beat old man Takeo and take the torch. And then she got his with the flat side of Raimaru and got sent flying into the compound's outer wall. "Ow."

"Seems to me that you still got a lot to learn Gum-Gum." Tsugumi's eyes flashed red and she roared forward, Yuki-Hime meeting Raimaru mid swing. "Ooh. Nice recovery. Too bad it was a little sloppy!" The Blood Princess yelped as Takeo swept her off her feet. Tsugumi thrust her hand out to the ground and pushed off of it into a flip.

Tsugumi landed a few feet away from Takeo, Yuki-Hime raised for defense. She and her uncle then began to circle each other. _I'm gonna wipe that damn smug smile off your wrinkled fucking face old man!_ With a cry, Tsugumi lunged, feinting a thrust towards Takeo's shoulder and going down low with a blinding combo. Takeo matched her blow for blow. Slash for slash.

"Too predictable Gumi!" Ayato called out from the sidelines. "Your fake was too unrealistic and you moved onto your combo to quick-"

"Shut up! And let me do my thing!" Tsugumi roared, stepping back and thrusting at an opening which disappeared as quickly as it appeared. But it was enough for Tsugumi to graze Takeo's shoulder. Though in turn, it left Tsugumi's abdomen wide open for a backhanded slash from Raimaru.

"Your defense is average. And average…" Takeo grinned as whipped Raimaru back across Tsugumi's stomach in the blink of an eye. "…Just won't do." Tsugumi stepped back, the cloth around her stomach darkening with blood.

"Come on. Is that all you can do?" the Blood Princess of Konoha switched stances, shifting her feet and arms into a more defensive posture. "Maybe your old age is getting to you." Takeo simply smirked and relaxed his shoulders, spreading his arms apart, Raimaru raised in the air.

"Okay. You clearly want an ass kicking little girlie." Tsugumi narrowed her eyes and gripped Yuki-Hime tighter. "Last time I used this move you were in the hospital for at least a month or so. Maybe you'll only be bed-ridden for half a month this time." His mocking and condescending tone, sent waves of anger and irritation down Tsugumi's spine. "Watch…and…learn!" Takeo disappeared, a transparent figure in place of Takeo.

 **Phantom Darkness Style: Specter Cannon.**

 _Where is he, where is he, where is…There!_ Tsugumi saw the flickering of Takeo's figure in midair to her right. Rushing back, Tsugumi managed avoid the ethereal energy ejected from Raimaru. O _nly a split second to counter attack before Takeo can get into a defensive stance._

As soon as her back foot hit the ground, Tsugumi charged forward, Yuki-Hime shining in the light. Turning Yuki-Hime a couple of degree's to the side, the light redirected itself into Takeo's eyes. _Gotcha!_

In the split second that Takeo was distracted, Tsugumi rushed forward and disarmed him and put Yuki-Hime against his neck. Tsugumi didn't even realize how hard she was breathing. And in only such a short amount of combat as well. "Hah…Agh…Huh…Damn…"

Takeo smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder. "Well. You still got some work to do, eh kid? You wasted all stamina on that avoiding my one single attack and counter-attacking. Gotta train your endurance some more eh?" Tsugumi glared at her uncle. "Heh. Come on. Your mom's waiting to patch ya up."

"Eh!? I-I don't need s-stitches!"

* * *

 _Military District, Kumogakure_

 _4:05 p.m._

* * *

Kumo had always been a loud and noisy. And now was no different, even after a rebellion, it seemed to Kizuna. He scrunched up his nose and stretched out his arms. Walking beside him, Byakuya was stuffing his face full of chips, and to Kizuna's right, Seiju was humming along to the song in her earbuds. The nightlife of Kumo had always been unrivalled, even now.

All around, civilians talking, laughing, yelling. Eating, drinking. There was actually a fight breaking out in one of the bars. Though, Kizuna didn't know why there civilians in the Military District, and Kizuna didn't quite care either. Kizuna sighed and reached down into a jacket pocket and pulled out his phone.

"Hey. Someone's texting ya." Kizuna smacked his best friend in the back of the head. Byakuya looked away grumbling. "Man! I don't know why, but I've been so jittery for the last week!" Byakuya leaned forward and began to run in place before breaking out in a full sprint. "Ugh! Can't stay still! I'll meet you guys there!" And disappeared in a flash of gold.

"Man. He's always been so restless, and with the exams so near, it doesn't help." Seiju commented, twirling a strand of hair around a finger. Kizuna nodded, too busy typing away on his phone. "Kiyoko?"

"Kiyoko." The two of them gave out a sigh and laughed. "But yeah. Every goddamn hour. It's like she doesn't trust me to stay safe." Kizuna turned to look at Seiju. "I can take myself, I'm pretty sure. Right Sei-Chan?" his fellow red haired comrade nodded vigorously while glaring at him. "Yep. But I guess because the Chunin Exams are coming in a couple of days. She doesn't need to be worried. I survived a goddamn rebellion for fuck's sake!"

Seiju continued humming. "Well, she's only looking out for you. And yeah, you did manage to survive a direct fight with A. But…you had the help of Kasuga-Sensei. And I don't think I have to remind you how powerful your uncle is right?"

"No, but I'm basically a jonin you know. So were you! So was Byakuya. We're already stronger than normal jonin you know."

The redheaded girl frowned. "Well yeah, but…That's not really fair you know, to everyone else who didn't get a chance to participate in a rebellion. And besides, rank doesn't really mean that you're stronger than someone. I mean, the Legendary Kirei Uchiha was only a genin when he defeated the Princess Kaguya."

"That's kind of a bad analogy. I mean, the exams were postponed that year and everyone knew how special Kirei was going to be. But yeah, I guess you make a point." Kizuna looked down at his phone once more. "Huh? The fuck is this?" Seiju craned her head towards Kizuna's phone. "You know who this guy is? I mean, judging from his name, I'd guess that he's a Namikaze."

"Naruto…Namikaze, is it? Hmm. He's the third 8th child of Minato Namikaze, don't have to tell you he is, and Kushina Namikaze, again I don't think I have to tell you who she is either. He's a genin and apparently he's going to be entering the chunin exams. Ooh, there's more, swipe right." And a picture a blonde girl almost identical to Naruto. "And this is Naruko Namikaze."

"Lemme' guess, they're twins and she's also going to the exams?"

"Hit the nail right on the coffin. Here give me your phone. Don't give me that look Kizuna-Kun. I'm not gonna do anything you know. Okay…Apparently this is the rest of their team…Wait. Seriously? A 5 man squad? With two fucking sets of twins?"

"Woah. Doesn't that give them kind of an advantage, or something?" Seiju shrugged before swiping once more. "An Uchiha?"

"Not just one, two. Hm. They could be trouble." Kizuna scoffed and cracked his fingers. "I'm serious Kizuna-Kun. They're a really balanced team. Two really good hand to hand fighters, two heavy hitting Ninjutsu experts and a…pink haired medic? Seriously? I wonder how much pink dye he uses."

"What? That's a guy?

"Y-yes. I-I, don't even know anymore." Kizuna stuck his hand out and Seiju promptly dropped the phone into his palm and sighed. "Anyways, we're here now. And there goes Byakuya."

"How long do you think we have to beg the owner to set Byakuya free?"

"Probably an hour. Maybe more if it's that that one guy…"

"Oh, you mean the one Byakuya 'accidentally' puked on and spilled his coke on?" Kizuna looked towards Seiju with an indifferent look.

"Yep."

"Anyways, why'd you think Kiyoko sent us that information?" Kizuna asked, flagging down a waitress, as Byakuya continued to run wild. "I mean, she can't seriously think that these guys will actually give us trouble right?"

"Again, I don't know. But it can't help to do make a plan for how to deal them right?" Seiju murmured, her eyes rapidly scanning the menu. "Ooh, bubble tea is on sale…ooh. But its mango flavoured. Oh well."

"What? Mango bubble tea is great! Not as good blueberry that's for sure, but it's still good! Especially if you order an extra-large, one…fuck, that's making my mouth water." Kizuna leaned back in his seat. "Guess that settles that. Waitress!"

"Don't be rude. Koko-chan! Over here!"

* * *

 **(Call Your Name-Attack on Titan OST)**

* * *

 **Sorry for a rather short chapter, but it's only filler, so there isn't really any new info aside from introducing some new/old characters, old if you've read my other Naruto Story, Life's Degradation, which was more of a test really.**


	14. Demigod? Me?

**(Into Starlight- IA & ONE) **

* * *

_Border of the Land of Wind_

 _11:28 a.m._

* * *

"This is the meeting spot right?" Riku rolled her eyes as Natsumi groaned and rolled over on top of the picnic table. They had been waiting for the Sunagakure envoy for more than 2 hours, even though the negotiations were supposed to have started 4 hours ago. Yes. Both parties were late. _Huh. Guess Kakashi's rubbing off on everything now._ Riku would have been less irritated had Natsumi not been so restless.

Riku would never understand why Arashi chose Natsumi to be their representative. Not that she was a bad choice. The Phantom of Konoha wasn't a bad choice by any definition. Natsumi was friendly, sociable, and surprisingly very good at picking up on social cues, mood and atmosphere. But, she was a bit childish and blunt and very, very honest. Honest to the point that it could actually be detrimental.

They had left the village over 6 hours ago and had gotten delayed by a ramen food truck. Not that it surprised anyone in the party. Rather they were expecting to get delayed. Though at first Natsumi seemed convinced that it was a trap and sent Lion to "scout" ahead. And when he came back and Natsumi deemed the ramen to be "unsoiled", she commanded that the rest of the party order some as well.

"Yes captain. They should be here any moment now." Riku finally answered flipping a page of her book absentmindedly. She wasn't even looking at it, let alone reading it and was actually scanning the horizon. The meeting place for the negotiations was a small beach on the Land of Fire-Land of Wind border. On the Suna side of the border, was a lake. A very small one, but according to Shark, was actually pretty deep, to the south, was a forest with a small stream that cut it in half.

"Argh! That's the tenth time you've said that!"

Riku rolled her eyes and set her book down on the table. "And that's the eleventh time you've asked the question. Now calm down captain. They should get here soon. And if I'm wrong then I'm getting you some ramen, all on me." _I should not have said that. What am I thinking?_

"What qualifies as… _soon_? To you anyways?" Natsumi asked, a sparkle in her blue eyes.

"An hour. Now stop complaining."

Another 30 minutes had passed by ( _Thank Kami!)_ when finally the Suna party arrived. Riku looked up from her book when she heard the signal from Dove. Quickly, her eyes scanned the lake and spotted a group of people walking across the lake. Sitting across from her, Natsumi straightened up, stretched her arms and yawned. "Finally." She said with a bit of disappointment lacing her voice. Riku ignored her and snapped her fingers. Seconds later, Shark popped up from the stream, Buck sauntered over from the forests and Dove jumped down from her perch atop the tallest tree and Lion emerged from the ground.

After a tense 5 minutes, the other group finally hit the shore. Most of the Suna party were Anbu, as was the Konoha group. Riku reached up and made sure that her helmet was still on. Only one of the Suna members was unmasked, and even with a mask, Riku would have been able to tell that she was the leader of the group. The short, dirty blonde girl, with a massive grin on her face, exuded power that Riku had only ever sensed from Arashi. It set her and everyone except Natsumi on edge.

"Sorry we're late. Traffic. Sandstorms. Heat stroke. You know the usual." The girl began and stuck her hand out for Natsumi to shake. "I'm Tetsuna Shibuki by the way." And instantly Riku knew why she felt so tense. Tetsuna Shibuki was Sunagakure's representative in the group known as the **Warlords** , or one of them at least. A group made of the most powerful shinobi in the world. _Is this how Kage felt when he met Shigure Kaguya?_

 _How can you feel so fine in this situation!?_ Riku internally screamed at Natsumi who was acting as if things like this happened on a daily occurrence. Which, considering the members of her family, was not hard to see why. "Natsumi Namikaze. Now, can we get a move on? I kinda want to go back to that food truck and get their special ramen."

"Ooh, I've never had ramen! Is it good? I hear that Konoha has the best ramen in the entire continent!"

"Of course it is! There is no place with better ramen than Konohagakure no Sato! Sure there are some that can come close, like that food truck, but none can ever match the delicious noodles, the seasoning, the saltiness, the texture of Konoha ramen! More famously known as Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Ooh! I wanna have some!" Riku felt everyone was looking on at the scene with dumbstruck looks on their faces. They didn't even have to take their masks/helmets off for her to know that their mouths were agape. _Now I guess I know why Arashi chose Natsumi to be the representative._ "Oh, but first we have to do all this…paperwork…Ew."

"Ew indeed. But it must done! Now come! Falcon! With me." And back to the picnic table they went. Riku didn't pay much attention the paperwork, which both Natsumi and Tetsuna were surprisingly pretty professional about and managed to get it finished only in a matter of minutes. Or maybe it just seemed that way to Riku, because time seemed to just fly by and everything that was said flew right over her head.

"Alright! Now let's go and get some ramen!"

"Woo! Ramen!" Riku looked on at the scene of Tetsuna and Natsumi just screaming and yelling about ramen enthusiastically. If Riku was a complete moron, or had amnesia, she would've thought that Natsumi and Tetsuna were…wait never mind, Tetsuna was a blond whereas Natsumi was a redhead. _Man what the fuck am I talking about? Ugh. I need some sleep._

"Let's return to Konoha Tsuna-chan! Then you can truly taste the glory that is Ichiraku ramen!"

Riku looked at Tetsuna's guards, who were all shaking their heads frantically at their leader. "Um…I don't think that's a good idea captain. The alliance hasn't even been finalized yet. The Daimyo's and the Kage's still have to sign the paperwork."

"So. That doesn't mean Tsuna-chan can't enjoy the wonder that is Konohagakure Ramen! That's just cruel you know!" Natsumi fired back and grabbed Tetsuna by the hand. "If you need us, we'll be on our way to Konoha. Bye-bye!"

"Wait! Come back here!" Riku roared jumping to the nearest tree. _Damnit._ She looked back to the panicking Suna ANBU. "Come on. Let's go find them. Dove! Go and scout ahead!"

Riku tensed up as the sound of battle permeated the air. _Come fucking on! I let you go away for a motherfucking minute and you're already fighting someone!? What the fucking fuck!?_ Out of the corner of her eye, Riku saw a gust of wind as a solid kunai flying towards her. However, the kunai dissipated into the air as nothing more than a simple breeze.

Landing in a clearing approximately a couple of meters away from the meeting location, Riku looked up and saw Tetsuna with her hand out, her other hand over mouth, cheeks tinted pink. In her hand was a swirling ball of wind. "I'm so sorry! I thought it was their reinforcements!"

"Their?" Riku asked and Tetsuna nodded rapidly. "Who attacked you?" Tetsuna shrugged and pointed over to Natsumi who sat atop a massive mountain of bodies. All of whom wore black tattered cloaks and robes with a multi-headed serpent emblazoned on the back. _Serpent?_ "Natsumi."

The Phantom of Konoha turned her gaze to Riku who wished that she didn't. Natsumi's eyes were not the blue that they normally were, but were rather a dark red colour. However milliseconds after meeting Riku's hazel orbs, they phased back into their normal cerulean blue. "I guess you were right. By the way I didn't kill these guys. Well most of them anyways. Tsuna-chan did. I just thought that if sat on top of them it would be a more dramatic pose for when you arrived."

Riku ignored Natsumi's rambling and knelt down to inspect the serpent emblem. _Where have I seen this before? I'm certain of it!_ "Did you at least leave anyone alive for questioning?"

Natsumi burst out in laughter. "Nope! Besides I know who they work for anyways. The Serpent. What other group out there has the Yamata no Orochi as their sigil? The Cult of the Snake God."

 _What? The Cult of the Snake God? What the fuck are they doing all the way here?_ "How did they get here so fast? The nearest chapter is over in the Land of Wind and we would have seen them cross the lake or river or something! Anything really."

The captain nodded and jumped off of the mountain of dead bodies. "They got here earlier and they were waiting for us. An ambush. Meaning that someone tipped them off about a meeting between us. Which means that we have a mole in the military." Natsumi scowled and cracked her knuckles. "They're getting bolder too. The cult normally sends ronin or bandits in their place and not actual members of the cult."

"Is this a sign?"

Shaking her head, Natsumi walked over to one of the bodies. "I don't know. But this was the leader. That I'm sure of. See this?" She lifted up his cloak and tore off his shirt revealing an image of the Yamata no Orochi on his back. "Grandmasters of a Chapter are set apart from normal members by the symbol of the Serpent on their back. This one was burned onto his back." Natsumi looked up and held her free arm out. "Take a look around. This many bodies? This is the entire chapter. Every member. All here. Why?"

Riku felt a shiver go down her spine. "They're planning something."

"Yes. But what? I don't know, and I don't think I want to know, but I know that I have to know because it's my job to know things that I don't want to know. You understand?" Riku nodded. "Now let's go back to Konoha and get a round of Ramen."

"Heh. For once I agree with you."

* * *

 _Central District, Konoha_

 _6:05 p.m._

* * *

As the last jonin instructor left the room, Arashi sighed and stretched out. To his right, his father was diligently writing down the names of all the teams that would be participating in the exams. And to Arashi's right, Himiko was slumped over on her desk, mountains of paperwork, perilously stacked beside her.

"Finally finished?"

His sister weakly lifted her head from the desk and nodded slowly before going back down with a thud. Arashi chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Arashi! Stop it!" The Golden God laughed and sat back down in his seat. "Ugh…I hate paperwork. Should never have agreed to do this…"

Minato stood up from his seat and dropped a file down on top of her desk. "And now you have a new mission as well."

"WHAT!?"

Their father patted Himiko's head and began to walk away. "I'll let Arashi explain. It was his idea after all." _You should not have said. Not at all._ Arashi turned his head to meet Himiko's murderous glare and intense killing intent aura.

"Explain."

And so he did. "We got a message from Kiri. According to their ANBU Intelligence division have found the hideout of a group of dangerous A-Ranked missing shinobi. And they've requested our help to eliminate them."

Himiko frowned. "They're testing us. They want to see if we'll honour our part of the alliance."

"Bingo. And for some reason they're want to you to go and help eliminate the group. And to add to the oddness, their best shinobi, Shigure Kaguya to help you. Which is odd, considering that Kaguya-san could complete this mission with her eyes closed. So you can say that this is quite overkill."

"Ugh…Fuck me…" Himiko groaned and smacked her head on her desk. She didn't even care when the stack of papers teetered and eventually fell on her. "Tell mom I'll be late for dinner. Argh! Fuck my life!"

Arashi chuckled and closed the door behind him as Himiko began to throw a tantrum. A really loud one at that, as the sound of a desk cracking filled the hallway. Sitting on the couch in the break room, Kazuma wasn't even trying to hold back his laughter, while Kimiko had a rare smirk plastered on her face. "Shall we go home?" His siblings nodded and stood up from their seats.

"Wait for me!" The figure of Akane raced down the halls to meet with them, her long auburn hair filling up the hall. "Hah…Hah…Let's go." Arashi felt Akane's cheeks heat up when their hands made contact.

"Man, I want some ramen." Kazuma stated, hands behind his head, and whistling at the same time. Arashi looked at Kimiko who nodded as well. "What!? Kimiko wants to go and have some ramen!? Are you the real Kimiko?"

"I can say the same about you, Mr. Dango is life and Ramen can go fuck itself up the ass." Kimi shot back, the smirk back on her pale face. Her normally loose and free hair, was tied into a side ponytail, fastened by a white flower. Arashi spotted more than a couple of on lookers staring at his older sister with blushes on their cheeks and lust in their eyes.

Kazuma himself wasn't that bad looking either, in Akane's very well-known opinion. Spiky black hair, sharp green eyes and masculine jawline. All around, women were purring and blushing. Arashi had long known that Akane thought that Kazuma was most handsome of the Namikaze's. Though, he was extremely intimidating to her.

Soon, the lights and smells and sounds of Ichiraku ramen reached them. And a very, very familiar voice reached his ears. Arashi felt his eyes widen. _Why is Tetsuna here? Why did Natsumi bring Tetsuna here!?_ He resisted the urge to face palm. Akane squirmed around in his grasp. "Um…Arashi…your hand."

Arashi looked down and realized that he had been squeezing his fiancé's hand a little tighter than he should have. "Oh. I'm sorry." And then kissed her forehead.

"No PDA little brother. No PDA." Kimiko grinned as she thumped her little brother in the middle of his forehead. With Kazuma whispering, 'How is that even PDA?' Kimiko ignored him and entered the establishment. "Now I wonder who Natsumi has made friends with now…" _And I for one don't want to know. Well, I do know, because I kind of planned it all along anyways. Ugh! What the fuck was I thinking!?_

Sitting at their usual table was Natsumi, with Tetsuna sitting across from her and with Riku to her left, sitting against the wall. And it seemed that Natsumi was getting along with Tetsuna really, _really_ well. And this was exactly what Arashi did not want to happen. The meeting of these two would do absolutely nothing but cause a headache for him. And that was precisely why he told Riku that Tetsuna must not go back to Konoha with Natsumi.

The sudden feeling to turn away and run coursed through Arashi's body the moment that Natsumi turned her head over her shoulder and waved them over. "Oh god…" Akane giggled and both Kazuma and Kimiko shot amused smiles at him.

"Come on! Sit down! The meal is on me!" With a sigh, Arashi sat down next to Riku, and on Riku's other side sat Akane who gave her best friend a smile before whispering something in her ear. Riku stiffened as Arashi directed his gaze onto her.

"Well, you have some explain to do _Falcon_." Kazuma stifled a laugh as he screwed off the cap of his beer bottle and began to chug. While Kimiko winked at Riku, who was quickly losing colour in her face. "Anyways. I assume the negotiations, went well?"

"Well? They went better than well Arashi-san!" Tetsuna beamed at him. "Your sister is so cool! Why didn't you introduce us sooner? I mean, if I didn't I would never had tasted the wonders of Ichiraku Ramen and read an Icha-Icha novel!" Arashi felt his left brow begin to twitch.

He then turned to Natsumi who laughed nervously. "You did what? You introduced her to what!?"

"Hey…They're only novels right? It's not like they're gonna do anything to you."

"No. But her Tetsuya is going to murder me when he finds out that his sister is no longer "Innocent" and he's going to blame me for soiling her innocence!" Arashi felt like wringing Natsumi's neck. His entire face was twitching now.

"Oh, you're overreacting little brother. Nothing will happen. In fact I think her brother will thank you for setting this little meeting up and getting his sister a new friend!"

BANG!

Everyone jumped slightly into the air as Arashi slammed his head down onto the table. Kazuma and Kimiko and Akane burst out into laughter, with Kimiko laughing so hard that tears began to form in her eyes. While both Riku and Natsumi began to laugh nervously, with Natsumi slowly turning pale. A dark aura forming around Arashi's body.

"Oh you guys are so dead." Kenji told the two of them as he walked by them and quickly exited the restaurant. Ayato, Kanjou and Ayako following shortly, shooting amused glances at them.

"Man your ramen never gets old! I'll see ya in a couple of hours" Kanjou called out as he dropped a check at the counter.

"Oh don't worry. You're not going to die. You're just going to wish you were dead." The look in Arashi's eyes sent shivers down their spines. All except Tetsuna who was looking at the scene with an amused glint in her eyes. "Oh you're going to wish you were dead. I'm giving you…10…no, 20 seconds to run. Hide. And get ready." Arashi told Riku and Natsumi who were already out of their seats and slowly walking away.

"And 1…2…3…" Arashi flew from his seat and out at Natsumi. "…20!"

* * *

 _Kemuri City_

 _6:35 p.m._

* * *

With a sigh, Rika looked over the report papers that Hayama had laid out on her desk. _Hmm…construction of the new barracks are slightly behind schedule…hmmm…that has to change._ The Tyrant reached out for a pen and tore a piece of paper out from her notebook and began to write. Hayama strode up towards her and plucked the note from Rika's outstretched hands and left the room.

"Hayato. Go and see to it that Akagi does his job and doesn't go out and eat out an entire restaurant of their supply chicken wings." His dark brown hair flew back as he bowed down to Rika before leaving the room. Sighing, Rika stood up and strode over to the open window overlooking the palace courtyard. Sitting in one of the flower fields, Shirome was busy playing around, to busy, the light distorting around her.

Far away in the distance, a massive tower rose into the air. Though it was nothing but a skeletal frame of steel beams and tower cranes among other things. Floating off the edge, fire erupting from his hands was Rumi as she welded a section of the tower together. Another sigh escapes from Rika's lips.

 _Things are all going according to plan…But can we complete the plan in time? No. I cannot think about what would happen. I will complete the plan. And I will save this city. Even if it means the death of everything and everyone in it._ Rika clutched the windowsill tightly, her hands turning white at how tight her grip was.

"Breathe milady. Breathe. Exhale…Inhale…Exhale…inhale…Are you good now?" Kei slowly entered the room. His seldom used voice croaking. Even that little bit of usage hurt as his free hand moved instantly to his throat as he reached for a bottle of water that was nearby. _'Is everything alright milady? You seem very tense.'_ Rika felt herself inhale and exhale at the rhythm of Kei's fingers tapping on the wood.

"It's nothing. Nothing. The stress of things is just getting to me. Hmm. It's weird. You're the only person, aside from Shiro that I allow to see this side of myself. Why is that Kei?" The silent swordsman shrugged. "Hmm. I don't know myself. Maybe it's because I know you won't say anything about it and Shirome has too little of an attention span to pay attention to how I act." Kei smirked.

' _I'm quiet, not mute. I can speak, albeit rarely and every time I do, my voice hurts. But I won't ever tell anyone, because I don't care. Because it has nothing to do with my goals. And Shirome does pay attention you know. She just doesn't'_

"…Doesn't care, I know. But that doesn't stop me from worrying." Rika sighed and made for the door. "Walk with me." The White Sword nodded and strapped his scabbard to his side. Rika looked over shoulder and looked at him. Even now she still didn't know what colour his eyes were, or what they even looked like. His damn hair was always in the way and it seemed that no one, no one except for Shirome had ever made eye contact with him. "When was the last time you cut your hair Kei?"

The sound of Kei's fingers tapping on his scabbard filled the hallway. _'Probably haven't cut my hair in over a year. I know, it doesn't seem that way, but my hair doesn't grow that much.'_

"Hmm, yes, I've noticed. How long have you been under my service again?" It had seemed like Kei had been in her service since time immemorial. But Rika knew that Kei had come into her service not longer than a couple of years ago at the last. Maybe not even.

' _More than a year. A year ago I woke up in one of your hospitals bleeding to death. A year ago since you saved my life. For a year now, I have been in your debt.'_

"Your sister did that to you if I remember correctly. Right?" Rika didn't even have to look over her shoulder to know that the white haired swordsman nodded his head. "Would you say that you'd be able to beat her now?"

"No." Rika turned around, surprised. Kei stood in the middle of the hallway, his fists clenched in anger. "Not even close."

"Is Keiko Arima really that powerful?"

' _And more. There isn't a swordsman in the world that would be able to take her on. Even Ayato Uzumaki would only last maybe a minute against her, should Keiko ever use her full strength'_ Rika knew that it hurt Kei's pride to admit this. But he wasn't dumb enough to say that it was only a fluke. That it was only by luck that his sister nearly killed him.

"Hmm. You do think that you'll ever be able to beat her?"

' _No. I don't think so. There is no one who can challenge Keiko in the way of the sword.'_

"Not even Takeo Uzumaki in his prime?" A sudden thought entered Rika's head. She held her hand out, a rune circle flashing into life on her hand. "Legend has it that only the greatest swordsman or woman may wield the Blade of the One Winged Samurai. Akashi Uzumaki, my great-great-great Grandmother Ryuko, and so on." Rika turned her head to look at Kei, who had grown increasingly more silent. "But then the sword disappeared. And no one knows where it is. Sure there have been legends and rumours, but nothing ever big enough to get the Uzumaki or the Swords or my own family of their ass."

Rika laughed. "And it was stupid of them to do so. Any tiny bit of information on Masamune, if worth checking out. A blade that powerful…A blade said to be unbreakable. Said to be sharp enough to cut a bird if one landed on its blade. A katana said to be forged by Hachiman. A sword so powerful that whoever wielded it could change the nature of the world itself."

They stopped at the armoury. Sliding past the mahogany doors and into the dank and dusty and seldom used personal armoury of hers, Rika strode right up to a stand. She held her hand out and gripped the empty space as if something was there. A faint outline of a sword flickered in and out of existence. _Tch. As expected._

"I suppose you know of the many swords created by humans to try and replicate Masamune?" Kei nodded and tapped the hilt of Yatsufuusa. "Tell me…do you know what Protocol 4 really is?"

' _No. You never told me and I never cared because I didn't think it would actually commence.'_ Kei tapped. He flipped his hair and Rika eyes quickly looked towards his eyes for a split second, hoping to catch a glimpse of them.

"Well, Protocol 4 would go much smoother if we had Masamune or even one of the fakes. Muramasa, or Murasame." Rika sighed and clenched her fingers. "But we've got one good enough, if Kazuto succeeds."

' _You still haven't told me what P4 is.'_

"I never said I would. Look, Kei, I'm not expecting you to help me with Protocol 4. So when you leave to go and find your sister and kill her, do me a good favor and try to give this to Takeo Uzumaki when you run into him." Rika held her hand out and a small crystalline construct forming in the center of her palm, small runes and symbols running along its surface.

' _How do you know I'm going to meet the Red Lightning Bolt? He could mistake me for an enemy.'_

"Takeo Uzumaki, isn't like that. He has another nickname you know. The Peaceful Whirlpool. He will not attack you on sight and he will at least listen to you."

' _What does it do?'_

The corners of Rika's lips curled up into a vulpine grin. "That…he will have to find out for himself. And don't worry. It's not going to kill him, or you or stop you from getting your revenge." Rika's grin spread into a full blown smirk. "Tell him that I said hi though."

Maybe just maybe, things would finally start to turn around for her. Just…Maybe…

* * *

 _The Namikaze Compound, Central District, Konoha_

 _6:51 p.m._

* * *

Naruto woke up from his nap with a start. His forehead soaked with sweat, his breath ragged. Sitting up on the couch he turned his gaze over to Naruko, sitting across from him on the recliner who raised an eyebrow at his sudden reaction. Beside her, Kenji was watching something on the TV, probably House Rangers or something.

"And look who's awake! How was your nap cousin?" And the final person in the living room was Ayato who was sitting on a chair against the wall, polishing Murasame, even though it was already quite polished and shiny. Naruto felt his face twitch at the site of his cousin. Or well, barely cousin any ways.

"It was fine, just this blanket's too warm is all."

Kenji snorted and raised an eyebrow at his younger sibling. "Oh really? You know if you're nervous about the exams you can just say so. I mean, Arashi was probably even more worried about it than you are." Naruto raised an eyebrow at the statement. "I know hard to picture our genius older brother, who seems like he can do no wrong, as, nervous. But he was."

Laying down on the couch as Naruko left, Kenji continued. "If I remember correctly, which I do, Arashi was so worried that he comepletely forgot about his morning routine. You know, wake up, take a shower, get dressed, eat, and go on a morning run?" Naruto nodded. "Well, on the morning of the exam, it was in Konoha by the way, he forgot to shower, only ate half a bowl of ramen and forgot to warm up before running. Still, it's Arashi and it's going to take a lot more than a cramp to stop him from doing his absolute best."

Looking up from Murasame, Ayato spoke up. "And he cleared the Forest of Death in record breaking time too. It was…85 minutes or so, I think?" Kenji nodded and switched channels onto the Nightingale the Animated Series. "And then he spent the next month meditating. Not even training for the big tournament. Nope. Just meditating."

The youngest male frowned. "Uh, I was there you know. I was a kid maybe, but I remember that shit man." Sighing, he lay back down onto the coach and stared straight up at the ceiling with nothing but the sound of Ayato sharpening Murasame blending in with the swordfight on the T.V. A full minute passed by until Naruto spoke up again. "Where is Arashi?"

His brother smiled wolfishly. "At Ichiraku's. Though you might not want to see him right now. Not unless you want to suffer his rage filled wrath." Both Ayato and Naruto looked up. "Natsumi. She's the only one who can get him _that_ mad. Maybe Akane, but probably not on a consistent basis anyways."

Naruto scoffed. "As if. Arashi would probably yell at her and then feel really bad about it and the boom! Make up sex! Heard it's the best!" Ayato chuckled and Kenji raised a brow. "What?"

"Make up sex is not as good as you think it is. Sure it might feel good in the heat of the moment, but the next morning you're going to feel sore, there might be some blood stains on your sheets, there's going to scratches and scars all over your back, your abs, there'll be some strands of hair everywhere, a used maybe."

"I'm going to assume that you've had make up sex before." Ayato said pointedly. "But even if I have only met Akane-san only a few times before, I can tell that Arashi and Akane having up sex is full of sweet, 'I'm sorry', maybe a few 'I love you's' in the mix. But definitely not what you're describing." Ayato's lips spread into a knowing smirk. "Maybe…you're describing your own experiences with-"

"Shut up." If Naruto didn't know better, he would have said that Kenji's face was flushed red with embarrassment rather than anger. "Anyways, little brother, if you need some training or some tips, you can go to me, Himiko before she leaves to go off on her mission, Natsumi and Kimi, and Kazuma. Tsugumi of course, isn't a civilian but, she could give you some tips on how to take down a swordsman."

Ayato looked offended. "Excuse me? Are you saying I won't be able to give my dear cousin tips on how to fight a swordsman? Even when I'm clearly the better swordfighter?"

"It's fine." Naruto butted in, feeling a migraine begin to set in as he rubbed his temples. "Ugh. Hey Naruko! Can you get me a glass of water? I don't feel too good."

"Headache?" his mother spoke up, popping her head out the doorway, looking down at him with worry. "Or a migraine? You've been getting a lot of those recently."

"Migraine, I think. Gonna drink some water then go back to sleep, and hopefully the migraine will be gone." But Naruto didn't quite think that would be the case. "Ugh…Naruko!"

"Yeah, Yeah! Big crybaby." His twin commented as she strode into the room trying to look uncaring, her voice and eyes failing her in that endeavour. "Here. Now go to sleep and get some rest."

And that Naruto did.

When he woke up again, the pound in his head was worse than it was before or any of the previous times. _Demigod_. "What was that…" he muttered under his breath. Looking around, Naruto noticed that the sky was the black of night. There were no lights on in the house either. Though he could hear Uncle Takeo's snoring even from here. _Demigod._

He had dreamt about…something. But what? Naruto couldn't remember, the full details of his dream. He could only remember flashes of a fiery hellhole, a giant snake, a golden…Sharingan? As well as a golden 7 pointed star, and him. Standing in a circle of his siblings. Kazuma, a spear made of earth through his chest. Natsumi, her head cut off. Kimiko, her leg crushed. Arashi, his skin pale, his eyes dead. Tsugumi- _Demigod_.

"Ugh…Fuck me…"

Trudging out the door, Naruto slowly stumbled his way over to their private training field. Where he promptly fell to his knees underneath the shade of a tree. _Demigod_. Naruto hissed as the pain in his head began to burn and burn as if someone was shoving a white-hot brand against his head.

"What the fuck is going on!" He roared at the silent and uncaring sky. _Demigod_. "Whoever you are, stop fucking with me! I'm not this demigod of yours! Or whatever that means! Ugh…Fuck…Shit…" and then Naruto collapsed.

 _Demigod._

 _Demigod._

 _Demigod._

 _Demigod_

* * *

 _Iwagakure, the Land of Earth_

 _6:01 a.m._

* * *

It was now, that Ayase was questioning her decisions. Her decision to wake up an hour earlier in the morning. Her decision to forgo her morning exercise. The decision to eat less servings than she normally would. All really bad decisions. But what was worse was the smug smile on Izaya's face. Then again when was his face free of that smug smirk or smile or grin? Her brother looked like he was about to say something, but shut it closed at the last second.

Sighing, Ayase ignored her ass of a brother and closed the door behind her and followed Izaya's retreating form to the meeting area. After a good minute of walking and running and sprinting through winding streets, alleys, avenues and some boulevards, the two of them made it to meeting area. A bar near the gates into and out of Iwa.

The bar was small with only a couple of seats and a small counter. There was a large collection of beverages in the shelves behind the counter, however. The bartender nodded at the pair as they entered his establishment and began preparing two cups of coffee.

Izaya slid into a seat beside the only window in the bar. He shot Ayase a vulpine grin as she sat down across from him. The two of them sat in their seats staring at each other before Ayase stood and grabbed the two steaming hot mugs.

Ayase tried her absolute best to ignore Izaya's knowing stare as she took a big gulp from the mug and immediately regretted her decision. Her face flushed red and she stuck her red, swelling tongue out. Izaya laughed and chugged his entire mug in one go and waved the empty cup in front of Ayase's face mockingly.

"Can't take the heat little sister of mine? If you want I can blow on it to cool it down. Or perhaps you would have me drink it and then spit it into your mouth? You would like that wouldn't you." Ayase ignored him as she took another sip from the mug, this time, not as scalding hot as it was before. "Oh! Should I clap or something?"

She glared at him as she set the mug down and looked around, searching for her teammates. Nothing. Yet. "Maybe we should've waited a little while longer." Izaya raised his eyebrow once more.

"Well, consider this. It's 6:30 in the morning, Koji lives all the way across town and you know goddamn well that he likes to take his time. And Issei? Well, he likes to sleep in."

"That's an understatement. I'm pretty sure he holds the record for being late the most times. Or however you want say it." Ayase agreed.

Then out of the corner of her eyes she spotted Koji's shock of black hair through the grey morning air, his soft narrow eyes slicing through the mist, darting here and there. All over the place really. As Koji's gaze passed over them, Ayase waved him over. Koji nodded and weaved his way through the streets. He slid into the seat beside Ayase and politely declined a cup of hot coffee.

Koji took a look around the bar. "Issei still asleep? Figures. I guess the rest of the teams are still asleep as well, huh?" He asked after noticing the lack of other teams in the vicinity. "Either that, or we're the only the one's actually going to Kumo?"

Izaya's lips spread into that oh so familiar wolfish grin. "Of course you are. Everyone else is too afraid to go to Kumo. But not you guys, I'm sure. Nervous maybe. Not _scared_ though. Or maybe you are scared?" He said in a teasing tone at the now blushing Koji. Izaya yelped as Ayase smacked the back of his head. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoing off the walls of the small bar.

Ayase leaned forward. "Sorry about him, but yeah, apparently we are the only team from Iwa that's participating. Weird I know. But what can you about it?" She said with a shrug. "And look who's actually on time for once." Ayase called out.

Their last teammate trudged in slowly, his hair still a mess, eyes sleepy, and movements sluggish. "Fuck you Ayase. It's too fucking early for this fucking shit. Fuck. I need some coffee." He quietly accepted the drink from Koji and downed it in one go. And then he slammed his head down onto the table. "Ah…Still feel like a sack of shit."

"How much sleep did you get? Did you even sleep?" Koji asked poking Issei from behind.

"No. Not really."

Izaya smirked. "Ah…Old exam jitters. I remember when I went on my first exam. Didn't feel anything because I'm not pussy like you are Issei, but yes, everyone, except for monsters like myself, feel nervous." Immediately afterwards, Issei sprung up, the tiredness gone from his eyes, his movements with a spring in his step.

"Hearing the bullshit coming out of your mouth does wonders to my energy levels. I feel so fucking refreshed. Thank you." And there was not a single ounce of emotion in Issei's voice.

Sighing, Ayase slammed her half full mug down onto the table, catching the attention of her team and her brother. "Now that I have your attention, I don't suppose we could go now? So that we could get some actual rest when we get to Kumo? I don't want to go into the exams feeling tired or fatigued." Koji nodded, while Issei yawned and pretended to think about it. "Issei…" Ayase growled in a low tone of voice and her teammate raised his hands in defeat. "Okay then! Let's go!"

The group stood up, Izaya dropped a handful of coins on the counter and winked at the bartender's daughter, who hid behind her bartender of a father. Ayase rolled her eyes and mouthed a sorry at the girl who only blushed harder.

"You shouldn't do that you know, un." A voice called out from behind them. Ayase felt her blood run cold as a vulpine grin appeared on Izaya's face. She was about to turn around and face the Mad Bomber, as they called Deidara, but Izaya gripped her shoulders and shooed her away.

"Go. I'll meet you guys at the nearest town. As much as it pains my ego to turn away an audience to my artistic process, I can't slow you guys down. Go." Deidara made a face at Izaya and Ayase sighed. _I have such a bad feeling about this._ "Go. I promise my dismantling of this fool won't take long." Ayase gulped as Izaya added some extra emphasis on the word, _Fool_.

"Who are you calling a fool? Un. You call this art? What kind of art is this then? Un." The blonde called out, sauntering over and bumping his chest right up at Izaya. "Art is supposed to fleeting. Not…whatever shit this is. Un."

"Well, art is supposed to be inspiring. And the only thing you're inspiring is a lack of fear. Am I supposed to be intimidated by you?" Izaya shot back, not backing down at all. Ayase felt Koji grab her by the shoulder and guide her out of the fray.

"And the only thing that your art inspires is stupidity in other people. Un" That was the last thing that Ayase heard before their argument got out of range. _Oh, that is not a good sign._

 _Not at all._

* * *

 **(Last Stardust-Fate/Stay Night OST)**

* * *

 **One more "filler" chapter and we should get going to the main event.**


	15. The Headsman Executes

**(My Heart Your Beats-Angel Beats OP)**

* * *

 _Outskirts of Kumogakure_

 _6:41 P.M._

* * *

 **Killer Bee** looked up from the bonfire. There was something out there in the forest. He had heard footsteps. Multiple footsteps. Across from him Darui shifted and put a hand on his sword. Beside him, Shi narrowed his eyes and sent out waves of his chakra. The rest of Bee's team looked around the forest nervously. Peering out from one of the other bonfires was Mabui, whose nervous face was illuminated by the bonfires. Bee signalled for the fires to be doused and stood up. "Samui, I'll meet you and the others down near the Shinda River." Without waiting for her response Killer Bee leapt up from the log which he was sitting upon and on top of a nearby tree.

Darui was on the branch below him and hidden among the trees were other members of the resistance. Despite the thick darkness, there was no mistaking who was hunting them down. The Headsman of the Tanaka. Tanaka Takahashi. It was a miracle that Killer Bee and the resistance even managed to escape from his clutches back near Shokku Village. Although at the cost of Yugito Nii. Even still they still licking their wounds.

Tanaka Takahashi, to be quite honest, terrified Killer Bee. He was not ashamed or afraid to admit it. The Headsman they called him. Killer Bee knew not how the Headsman could remain so stone faced and so calm in such terrifying situations and it was crazy. _If only we had managed to get him on our side._ Bee though. Absent-mindedly, Killer Bee moved his left hand up to his throat. It was back in Shokku Village, Killer Bee was sure he was a dead man. But the only thing that was dead would be his rapping career. He could still speak, but it hurt to speak more than 15 words. If not for Yugito he would be dead.

For a moment the forest stilled and then a bolt of lightning shot out from within. "NOW!" Bee roared as he jumped. With a grunt Bee crushed the head of a shinobi. He rolled and slit the ankles and calves of another nearby shinobi. Roaring, Bee flipped up, his seven blades thrown up into the air. He caught them with an automated ease and began to spin, the sea of shinobi around him turned into an ocean of blood and bodies.

Whipping his head around Bee barely dodged a lightning quick kunai thrown towards his head. His head recoiled back as a foot smashed into his mouth. Bee leapt back and spat the blood out of his mouth off to the side. Standing in front of him, was the Headsman himself.

Takahashi Tanaka.

He had short blood red hair, which was rather fitting Bee though. Unnerving green orbs stared not at you but at your soul, it was no wonder that he was often considered the most terrifying man in all of the Land of Lightning. Other than his unnaturally green eyes, Takahashi did not look anything like someone called _the Headsman_ should have. A small grim smile was visible on Takahashi's face. Bee swallowed and tightened the grip he had on his two swords. The rest of his swords lay on the ground, tossed aside from the force of Takahashi's kick to his face.

"Hello Bee." Takahashi's voice was quiet. Very quiet. But in the forest it might as well have been a scream. "You and the resistance have been running for far too long. Far too long. It would not be good for my reputation if failed to catch a little pest such as you. I would prefer to kill you where thousands may see. Where thousands may know who weak you are. But alas, I shall be merciful and kill you quickly."

"We shall-'" Without any warning Takahashi surged forward like a bolt of lightning, his elbow slamming into Bee's gut. "Guh!" Killer Bee raised his own elbow up high and brought it down onto nothing as Takahashi spun around to the side and kicked Bee in the back. Bee stumbled and spun, one of his swords flying out and almost grazing Takahashi's face.

Killer Bee rolled forward and swung one of his Supervibrato swords up at Takahashi and hit nothing but air. Takahashi slammed his foot down onto both of Bee's kneecaps hard and followed up with a high roundhouse kick to the face, which Bee blocked with his free hand. The Headsman flipped back a couple of times and unleashed a bolt of lightning at Bee who split the bolt in half.

Under the cover of the bolt's bright sparks Takahashi rammed his head into Bee's stomach, shot his fist up at Bee's chin, elbow to his gut, followed up by a quick right hook to the cheek and lastly followed by a spin kick. Without even giving Bee a chance to counter attack, Takahashi shot forward and rammed his fist into Bee's chest and then landed two quick kicks. _This is bad! If I don't counter or get away soon, he could have me down for the count for the rest of the fight!_ Despite what Takahashi had said earlier about killing him quickly, Killer Bee knew that the Headsman was saving him for last.

Using the split second that Takahashi used to catch his breath, Bee jumped away far enough to avoid the earth splitting bolt of lightning that Takahashi Tanaka would have thrown _through_ him. With a moment to breathe Bee surveyed the battlefield, time seemingly slowing down, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Off to the right near a small stream, Darui was in a 4 on 1 fight against a group of Kumo's elite Anbu, STORM and winning. Albeit slightly. A bit farther away was Dodai and Shi, barely holding off a platoon of STORM Anbu. To Bee's right he could see Tsuruya and Takumi easily taking on a group of Kumo chunin.

"Do you want to die?" And then all of a sudden Takahashi there at his side, the Tanaka's monotone voice echoing in Bee's ear. The Jinchuriki of the Hachibi barely managed to raise one of his swords in his time to block Takahashi's lightning covered arm. As quick as lightning, Takahashi thrust his other arm out and only just managed to tap Bee on the cheek. Yet the blow was enough to send the powerful Jinchuriki flying, a small streak of lightning trailing. "Because if you stop for even a split second, I'll kill you."

And Bee could tell that he was not joking. Not that this wasn't something the Great Killer Bee didn't already know. If Takahashi took this even 30% seriously, Killer Bee would already Bee would already be on the ground beaten. Yet no one ever seen Takahashi Tanaka, the Headsman, ever go all out. No one had seen any of the Warlords go all out. Anyone that had was probably dead, or would never exist.

Killer Bee would have to go all out if he wished to even think about standing a chance against the man who single-handedly turned the rebellion around and cost Bee's brother and Raikage, A to lose not only his power, but his life as well. _If only he had stayed out of the rebellion like he said he would._ Bee thought bitterly as the grip on his Supervibrato swords tightened.

Takahashi landed in front of the last surviving member of Kumo's A and B duo. The Headsman held his hand out, a small ball of lightning forming within. "You know, you're known around the ninja world as one of the fastest shinobi, right Killer Bee? Well let's see if you can dodge this." His free hand blurred to life, going through at least a hundred single-handed seals. " _Lightning Release: Light Storm!"_ The ball of lightning in his hand floated to the center of the clearing before exploding into a million tiny needles of electricity in Bee's Direction.

Diving behind a tree to the right Bee began to run. No, he was not running away. He was trying to flank Takahashi Tanaka, the Headsman of Kumo. " _Lightning Release: Rolling Thunder Bolt!"_ Out of nowhere a monstrous beam of electricity blasted through everything it touched, turning everything it touched to cinders. It was going to hit him directly, Bee realized.

With a flip, he barely managed to avoid the giant beam of electricity. Bee did not for once think himself in the clear, not against the Avatar of Raiden. He didn't even see Takahashi suddenly appear. The last thing that Killer Bee heard before everything went black was, "Too slow."

* * *

 _Raikage's office, Kumogakure, the Land of Lightning_

 _7:31 P.M._

* * *

 **The village** of Kumogakure was busy with activity. Be it merchants trying to sell their wares, what few panhandlers there were begging on the street, kids running around and playing. Their parents either following closely behind or off hanging out with their other friends. The odd carpenter of building walking through the sea of people to get to their construction sight. There were of course Kumo shinobi of all ranks all throughout the streets. But there were just a few more out of patrol than days before. No doubt an extra security measure for the Chunin exams.

Takahashi took a step back from the window and looked towards the 5th Raikage. Gaou Totsuhara wasn't an intimidating man. He was of average height, and average weight, as well as average skill. Only three things stood out about the newest Kage. His crimson red hair, heterochromatic, red and gold eyes. And his mind. It was because of Gaou's genius that the rebellion was still around when a Takahashi had decided to step in. The Commander they called him. His military genius was what almost won Kumo the Third War. And they would have as well. If not for the damned Yellow Flash, Red Hot Habanero and the Golden Uchiha.

Yet for all of Gaou's genius, it had taken 4 years and nearly 10 000 Kumo Shinobi and civilians to end the rebellion. For all of Gaou's genius, he had failed to stop the Yellow from taking away his siblings. It had been such long time since Takahashi had seen either Akane or Kage. It had been so long that he had forgotten what his sister looked like and how she acted. Was she still the shy and quiet girl that Takahashi knew her as? Or did years of living with the Namikaze and Kage turn her into a confident and assertive girl like Kage was?

The sound of the blonde fool who called himself the Flash God walking in brought an end to Takahashi's musings. Gaou and his brother-in-law conversed quietly enough that Takahashi couldn't hear. Not that he even wanted to. After their silent conversation, Ryota Kasuga took a look at Takahashi before departing. Takahashi knew that look. _Why is he here?_ With a light chuckle Takahashi spoke up.

"He's afraid of me."

Gaou snorted. "And who in this village of ours isn't? You're one of the most powerful shinobi in all of the nations and to top it all off? You're a Tanaka as well. You were born to be great. To be powerful. You have the blood of Toru flowing through you after all." Takahashi shrugged. And turned to face the Raikage. "How did you do it?"

"Quickly. With my arms." Takahashi commented dryly. "On a more serious note, Killer Bee was not at his full strength, not that it would've made a difference, but it appears that he was still tired from our first encounter at Shokku village. The rest of his Resistance Cell was rather easy to track and take down. Now all that leaves is the Resistance Cell led by O."

"Speaking of them, I've managed to narrow down the location of their hideout to somewhere here…" Gaou pulled up a map and pointed. "Near the Burasto Valley. I've sent a squad to go and investigate, but if I'm right, chances are they won't be coming back. Especially if the rumours of Yugito Nii still living are true."

The atmosphere in the office shifted instantly. The air growing nearly ice cold and Gaou did his best to keep a straight face and not flinch at the cold look that Takahashi was shooting at him. "I killed Yugito Nii. There is nothing left of her. Before I eviscerated her body I ripped her throat out and crushed it underneath my foot. Before I turned her into dust, I tore all 24 of ribs out her back and then pulled her lungs out. Then I tore out all 33 of the Jinchuriki bitch's vertebrae. And you think that she's still alive!?"

Gaou raised his hands apprehensively. "Hey, it's just a rumour. Personally, I don't believe it. But some people do. And that's bad. I'm just presenting the information as I hear it."

"You're information is wrong. " Takahashi felt his lips begin to twitch. "Don't bother sending anyone else after that Resistance group."

"Why? You're not going anywhere. Taka, you're needed here to help keep the public safe!" Gaou was sounding frustrated. Takahashi ignored him, and put his hand up against the wall sized window with a view towards the mountains.

"You can't tell me I can and can't do Gaou."

"Stand down-'" Without any sudden warning Takahashi pushed his fist through the window, shattering it into a million pieces. The sound of the glass breaking sent the crowds underneath sprawling for cover. "TAKAHASHI! STOP!"

" _Lightning Release: Raiden's Blind Fury."_

Takahashi raised his right hand towards the horizon. Hundreds, if not thousands of tiny little sparks flashing to life. "Tell me Gaou. If I miss this, which I won't, how many people do I have to kill in order to pay for all the damages?" Before Gaou could respond Takahashi's lips spread into a slight grin. The sparks of electricity around his hand swirled into a small, dense ball of electricity. "Ah, you know what? Don't worry about it."

Moments later, a massive beam of lightning, as wide as the street below it erupted from Takahashi's hand. The door slammed open as Ryota and his nephew Masashi sped in just a little too late to stop Takahashi. By the time Ryota had Takahashi pinned to the ground, the beam of lightning had traveled from Takahashi's hand and into the sky, where a collection of storm clouds began to form. A few seconds later, an absolutely gigantic bolt of lightning split the sky in two and struck the ground a few kilometers away. Then, almost instantaneously, an explosion rocked the landscape, mushroom cloud rising high into the sky. The sound of glass shattering filled Takahashi's ears.

Chaos filled the streets. Civilians running through the streets like headless chickens, the screams of women, the crying of children, and the distressed calls of worried parents rang through the now startlingly empty streets. Shards of glass and splinters of wood were scattered throughout the streets. A giant crack ran through the middle of Main St. The street that led to the mountain in which the Raikage's residence was built on. Takahashi could see countless other Shinobi on rooftops looking for an enemy.

With a sigh, Gaou sat down in his plush leather chair and looked at his son. "Masashi. Go down to Radio Room and call everyone off. Ryota, go and see if Takahashi actually did what he said he would and not just randomly destroy a valley because of some perceived slight at his pride." The blonde nodded and disappeared in his signature flash of silver light and out through the opening from which Takahashi had destroyed the Burasto Valley.

Takahashi snorted as he stood up. "Perceived slight? It _was_ a slight against my pride."

"Well, whoever was in the valley is probably dead now. And if not, well, you just ruined their fucking day."

"And probably the rest of their lives. I not only probably severely injured them, maybe to the point of being a para or quadriplegic, but also destroy the land which they lived, their house, I probably killed their friends, and family and the girl down the block that they had a crush on and planned on confessing to later on today. But then _someone_ had the gall to think that _I,_ didn't kill Yugito Nii."

An incredulous look appeared on Gaou's face. "Don't tell me you did this because of some stupid rumour that _absolutely no one_ believes in? But then again, you've vaporized entire lakes and islands for less." With a resigned sigh, Gaou sunk deeper into the cushion of his chair. "Well, I don't suppose you'd be willing to go on another mission?"

"Shoot."

"The rest of the Warlords will be coming here for the exams as you know, I want you to keep an eye on them. Don't let them out of your site. Especially the Worldbreaker."

"Izaya Araraki. The Worldbreaker, Iwagakure's Blue Landslide. He's unpredictable, and smart, and very underhanded. Even if you didn't tell me to keep an eye out for him, I would've done it regardless. The others? I wouldn't worry about them. Shigure Kaguya is normally a very reserved person and is very hard to provoke, as the Worldbreaker found out the last time the 5 of us had met. Tetsuna and Tetsuya Shibuki won't cause too much trouble, as long as Tetsuna gets her daily dose of sweets and Tetsuya gets to beat up some criminals butt."

"And Arashi Namikaze?" Takahashi felt his eye twitch slightly at the mention of the Golden God of Konoha. "He is betrothed to your sister Akane is he not?"

"Yes. He is. He should of no trouble as long we do not provoke him. He's a rational and intelligent person."

A sigh escaped Gaou's lips. "One last thing. What are the chances that something bad is going to happen at the exams, and lead to a war?"

Takahashi's silence was a good answer.

* * *

 _Golden Storm Hotel, Kumogakure, the Land of Lightning_

 _8:05 p.m._

 _1 week later…_

* * *

 **Kumo seemed** to be have either very lax, or very well hidden security, it seemed to Sasuke. Getting into the village itself was more annoying than it was difficult, with a ton of paperwork and identification. It didn't help that Naruto was being very rash and irritable today. Then again, his best friend had been very irritated and paranoid the past 2 weeks. Ever since Kenji found Naruto unconscious underneath a tree in the middle of their training field.

With a sigh, Sasuke peered through one of the windows of his hotel room. Despite the fact that a battle had taken place mere months earlier on these very streets, the Village Hidden in the Clouds looked as if nothing had happened. To the untrained eye of course. Hastily rebuilt buildings and streets, as well as tons of graffiti hidden in the darkness were everywhere.

Team 7 was currently in one of newly built hotels on one of the many mountain north of the city. Kumogakure, as far as Sasuke knew from the textbooks he had read during his academy days, was made up of 5 districts, all built high up on the mountains. The Military district was the farthest from the main gate and the hardest to assault. It was deep within the mountain it was made on and was one of the most impregnable places Sasuke had ever seen. Spread out on three mountains was the Civilian district. Lavish structures and skyscrapers were sprawled across the three mountains, which were completely residential, with the odd family owned store on every third or fourth street corner. It was connected by a magnificent golden bridge, with half-kilometer wide bridge supports bolted deep into the mountains. On the other side of the three mountains was the Industrial district. While Sasuke couldn't see the district itself, the pollution he could see rising high above the mountains. Whoever planned the city design must have been either very lucky, or a genius, because the wind almost always blew the opposite direction of the Residential District, sparing the civilian populace of harmful smog and polluted air. On the mountain across from the Residential District was the Commercial District. Even from his hotel room. Sasuke could see the neon signs of the casinos, the glowing statues of Raiden's Row. The sprawling complexes of the monstrous Raijin Mall. From between the gaps of the mountains, Sasuke could barely see the road which lead to the Storm Gates of Kumo.

The final two districts which Kumo was made up of, were really not districts at all, but rather just ginormous, sprawling structures. Situated upon the highest point of the tallest mountain, was the legendary White Library of Kumogakure back when it was known as Saikyo. Even with the entrance of the Greater Library sealed off, the amount of knowledge within those very walls was unprecedented.

And definitely the most noticeable complex, was the Raikage's Residence. Unlike the other districts, which were built on _top_ of the mountains they sit upon, the Raikage's Residence was carved _from the mountain itself._ Every wall, every floor, every door was carved from the mountain itself. The only part of the building not from the mountain itself was the outer wall.

Slightly north of the main districts were numerous mountains in which other buildings, too large to fit in the other districts, were built. Most of them were hotels in which the teams participating in the Chunin Exams would be staying at. And farther north, near the frozen tundra was the testing grounds. The massive arena in which the final tournament would be taking place in, was in the center of the Commercial District.

"You've been standing there looking outside for nearly 5 minutes, Sasuke. What are you looking at? Is it a hot girl? I bet it is." Sayoko called out from her bed. Even without turning around Sasuke could tell that a smirk was upon her face. "I mean, I won't judge if you are…"

"I'm not. Go back to sleep Sayo." Sasuke turned around sauntered into the washroom. With a sigh he opened the mirror compartment, took out his toothbrush, grabbed the toothpaste, squeezed a perfect amount on the bristles of his toothbrush and began to brush his teeth. After he was done, Sasuke momentarily went outside to grab a pair of black sweats and a white tank top and a red towel before heading into the showers.

The next morning started off with a bang to say the least. Sasuke was curled up in his bed, blanket wrapped tightly around him, and sleeping nicely. Sayoko…was making it difficult to say the least. Her moans echoing throughout their small, yet luxurious hotel room. Sasuke tried his best to ignore his sister's aroused moans, whimpers and groans, and the occasional utters of Naruto's name. It was irritating to say the least and kind of sad really. He had thought that Sayoko had finally gotten over Naruto, but apparently not.

Sasuke finally drifted off to sleep just after Sayoko's, very quiet orgasm, which was rather surprising considering the amount of times she woke him up at home with her pleasure filled screams, through the _wall_ that separated their rooms. Only to be awoken by Naruko and Sakurai bursting through their door. Understandably, Sayoko sat up, her blanket up to her chest as she almost fell off her bed. Sasuke himself, slowly looked up and glared at the couple. Yet Sakurai and Naruko only grinned at him. "What the fuck do you guys want? Can't you see that I'm trying to sleep here?"

"Did you seriously only fall asleep right now? It's like 5:30 in the morning. That's very unusual for you Sasuke. I mean, you're usually the one who wakes up really fucking early. Like around 4 in the morning. What gives? Did _something_ happen?" By the knowing smirk on Naruko's face, Sasuke could a hazard a guess that she about Sayoko's nighttime activities. The blush on Sayoko's face answered everything.

"S-shut up! I-I wasn't doing anything!"

The smirk on Naruko's face widened as Sasuke stifled the urge to face palm. Sayoko had just effectively confirmed Naruko's question without even being asked if she had done something. "I wasn't asking about you, but thanks for confirming anyways." Sayoko began to sputter and started to stutter out an excuse that was completely ignored. "Now, get up! We're getting a tour of the Commercial District!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "By who?"

This time it was Sakurai who answered. "You remember the two redheads that we ran into on the way to the hotel? Yeah, apparently they're also going to be in the Exams and offered to give us as tour of the place."

Then Sasuke's eyes narrowed. This was an obvious ploy to learn more about one of the teams that they would be going up against. But that went both ways. "This sounds awfully fishy you know. They can't be doing this out of the kindness of their heart."

A devilish smile formed on Naruko's lips. "They aren't. Why not let them know more about us. It's not like it's going to help them anyways. We'll still kick their ass."

Then Sasuke smirked.

* * *

 _Raijin Mall, Commercial District, Kumogakure_

 _10:17 a.m._

* * *

 **Honestly, Kizuna** wasn't really that impressed with the highly praised Team 7 out of Konoha. The only one that had actually drawn interest in him, Naruto Namikaze, was nowhere to be seen. According to his twin sister, he was in the training fields venting his anger and irritation at something. Perhaps he was angry at being the only member of his team with any actual worth on the battlefield. If Kizuna's teammates were as useless as Naruto's were, he would be rightfully angry and irritated as well.

While Seiju was off with the other girls, Kizuna was stuck with the pink haired medic, and the brooding Uchiha with duck ass shaped hair. They weren't impressive in anyway. Sure he could feel the potential within the Uchiha boy, Kizuna could tell that not even 10 percent of his full potential was even unlocked.

And the pink-haired medic? He was going to die in the war that would come soon. He was loyal and deeply in love with the female Namikaze and would go to any lengths to save her, even if it meant his forfeiting his own life. That made no sense to Kizuna. How would he able to protect and save and love his beloved if he wasn't alive? It didn't make any sense to Kizuna. Then again how would he know what a person that was in love thought like? It wasn't like Kizuna loved anyone like the pink-haired medic called Sakurai did Naruko Namikaze. Though some might claim that Seiju and he were more than friends. _Baseless rumours. People who don't know either of us and make assumptions based on our public appearances._

The two Konoha Shinobi had wondered off into the gaming store and left Kizuna alone on one of the benches outside the store. Looking around, Kizuna was still very surprised at how little damage there was done to the Raijin Mall. The mall was not only huge and could serve as a temporary barracks, but was very strategic as well, as the tallest point of the mall had a view of the bridges that lead into the Commercial District. But as soon as the sentries saw Takahashi Tanaka appear on one of the bridges, all hell broke loose and the garrison at the Raijin Mall began to flee.

With a sigh, Kizuna pulled out his phone and began to surf Hooter. As usual, Byakuya's Hooter feed was full to the brim with re-hoots and his own hoots. The sound of Seiju's voice reached his ear and Kizuna looked up from his phone to see the three girls making their way towards him and pocketed his phone. Out of the corner of his eye, Kizuna saw Sakurai and Sasuke exit the gaming store.

"Kizuna-kun, have you bought anything yet?" Seiju asked him, her face tinted with a light blush. Her hands were behind her back, gripping her shopping bags tightly. She preferred to hold the items she bought. Apparently the other girls, Sayoko and Naruko didn't, as they piled their shopping bags on top of the other ones which their male teammates were carrying.

If the blush was anything to go by, Seiju really wanted Kizuna to get her something. Kizuna frowned. He knew that it was close to Christmas, but was it close enough for Seiju to suddenly want Kizuna to buy her a gift? He wasn't oblivious to her feelings, but Kizuna knew that she knew that he didn't like her like that. But still, she kept trying.

"Wow, really? You haven't bought anything yet? That's surprising. Last time we hung out, it only took you about half an hour to empty your pockets on figurines, manga, and the HD remastered rerelease of Nightingale the Animated series." Seiju said, waving off the obvious sadness she had felt, and replaced it with a laugh.

Kizuna scoffed. "Seriously? That was not just _a_ HD Remastered rerelease, it was a _signed_ HD Remastered rerelease, signed by the creator of the whole franchise himself! You just have bad taste. And need I remind you that it took Byakuya only 5 minutes to waste all his money on that limited edition life-sized statue of the Nightingale himself when he saw it at the convention."

"Well, Byakuya is the super fan of the group after all. Now, to the water fountain deeper into the district. You guys will love it. Hopefully. The last time I was someone's tour guide, someone fell into the fountain and almost drowned."

The one called Sayoko gaped. "Wha-It's a fountain. How the hell does one _drown_ in a fountain?" Seiju shrugged. "That's…I can't even."

"Well, you're right, there's no way he should have almost drowned in the fountain, especially since it wasn't even more than 5 inches deep. He just…kinda fell into it face first and…I don't know. I don't know, it weird-well, stupid would be a more perfect way to describe it, but yeah, it was stupid and weird."

Along the way to the fountain, Kizuna had to restrained from blowing out the brain of some random on the street who had begun to hurl insults at the youngest Totsuhara. It was clear to Kizuna that the man was no doubt a Loyalist and a resistance sympathizer. He would have to make note of that later on. Kizuna still wasn't used to the looks he'd get on the streets. And not all of them were good. Some were in awe. Others with looks of loathing and very clear disdain towards him. And some were just full on looks of hatred. But those were rare. There was a sudden influx of tourists from other villages and from the countryside, probably to see the exams take place.

Kizuna didn't know why, but someone had the oh so bright idea to televise the event on T.V. Especially the tournament, which as far as Kizuna knew, would be broadcasted on the giant screens in Memorial Square, which was in the very heart of the Commercial District and was arguably the most noticeable monument the city had, aside from the White Library of course. Whenever anyone thought of Kumo, the first thought immediately went to the White Library, then drifted down to the Headsman, then the Statue of Freedom that stood atop the White Library, and then Memorial Square and Avalanche Park, and the hundreds of museums in the city, with most of them focused on the 10 000 year history of the city. All the way from when the city was nothing but rooms carved into the mountains, to the bustling Grand Capital of the Akabane Empire of Saikyo, and to the powerhouse Shinobi village that was Kumogakure no Sato. Kizuna knew that Seiju wanted to go and be a tour guide at some of those places, and she also wanted to bring their new "friends" over to the Residential District Zoo. The largest in all of the Ninja World. But Kizuna wasn't sure that there would be time. The exam was starting in 2 days after all.

Seiju would go on to drag around half of the Commercial District, into Raiden Stadium, Kumo's home to Kumo's legendary baseball team, named the Bolt. His redheaded friend also wanted to go to Aurora Park, one of the largest in the city, as well as the Raikage Center of Theatre near Memorial Square. By the time that team 7's tour of the Commercial District, it was 6 in the afternoon and the sun had begun to set. Seiju was currently promising to bring them to the R.D Zoo and show them the polar bear exhibit.

Then Kizuna saw him.

Naruto Namikaze. Golden blonde hair, lightning blue eyes, identical whisker marks on his cheeks like his twin sister. He didn't look that impressive, but Kizuna knew better. An aura like that meant someone dangerous. Kizuna had only felt that kind of potential power in people like the _Headsman_ and his uncle the Flash God. And it seemed that Naruto thought the same about Kizuna as well. Naruto's eyes narrowed in a way that Kizuna had felt himself do.

Naruko immediately ran up to her brother. "Where the hell have you been!? You've missed the tour! And I don't think that Seiju-chan could give you a private tour either."

"I don't want one." He responded still looking at Kizuna. A small smile had formed on Kizuna's face. "Who is this?"

His sister turned and Kizuna waved at her. "Oh that's Kizuna."

It was then that Kizuna spoke up. "So how does it feel being surrounded by a bunch of incompetent fools, Naruto-san?" Naruto's eyes merely narrowed even more. Sasuke and Sakurai's gazes turned to him, with clear anger in their eyes. "I mean, I can that you hold back to make things interesting do you not?"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Do I? It's true. Your teammates are holding you back. More trouble than they are really worth. They never do anything right and always get in the way and only slow you down. Am I right? Of course I am. You hold back out of the fear of not being accepted, am I right? Yes I am." Seiju was now walking towards him with an angry expression on her face. Team 7 looked ready to murder him. All except Naruto who's gaze steadily remained on Kizuna. "I am right. The look on face says everything."

"You don't know a thing about me or my teammates." Kizuna noted how Naruto said teammates rather than friends, which someone who didn't feel that way would have done. And it seemed to Kizuna that his _teammates_ caught on.

With a wide grin Kizuna continued. "Oh I don't need to. I can feel it. You have the aura of a powerful person. Someone who'll do great things in the future. Yet these _teammates_ of yours are holding you back. Tch." A triumphant grin formed on Kizuna's face. "I look forward to seeing you at Exams." And he began to walk away.

Seiju followed shortly after him, her face red with embarrassment and anger. "What the fuck was that Kizuna!?" _Oh this is serious huh?_ "Why did you do that? I mean I know you didn't like them at all, but you didn't have to do that!"

"You're right."

"Yeah and-What? Did you say I'm right?" Kizuna nodded. "Wha-wh-What? In all my years as your friend, I've never heard you say that someone else was right. T-that's kinda surprising."

"You're right and you're wrong. I didn't _need_ to do that. But it does help our chances in the exam, because now they're going to have some serious trust issues and now they're going to question their leader. Though I do hope that they make it to the tournament stage. It would be a crying shame if someone like Naruto Namikaze failed because of his incompetent teammates."

Kizuna strutted off into the neon lights of the Commercial District, leaving the still red faced and angry Seiju Kawasaki alone to strew in her anger.

* * *

 **(Ghost of a Smile-Egoist)**

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait. Exams and all that.**


	16. Let the Games Begin

**(Blumenkranz-Kill La Kill OST-Ragyo Kiryuin's Theme)**

* * *

 _Raijin Testing Center, Kumogakure_

 _8:45 a.m._

* * *

 **The exam** was starting now. Kiyoko Totsuhara sat at the front of the classroom as genin flooded into the room. A few of them she recognized, like her brother and his team, a few others from Kumo. The highly lauded Team 7 out of Konoha trudged into the room following the blonde boy, whom Kiyoko assumed was Naruto Namikaze. His teammates were shooting him cold looks, and he looked quite out of it, if the bags under his eyes were anything to come by. The room was about 60% full when Suna's infamous Sand Siblings entered the room. Kiyoko gave a short smile to the redheaded one who glared at her with his eyebrow-less eyes. The boy was more than a little surprised to see someone not intimidated by him.

And then Iwagakure's Bloodline Trio came in. The girl Ayase was the frontrunner to win the entire tournament portion of the exams. Especially since she was the younger sister of the famous, or rather infamous. Worldbreaker. Immediately after the Trio came in, Kirigakure's Team Blade arrived, made up of Shigure Kaguya's apprentice and the Hozuki twins. An all-star studded cast of genin for the masses to cheer and hoot at.

Kiyoko looked at the clock. _9:02. Heh, not as precise as I wanted it to be, but it'll have to do._ As the last of the exam takers got into their seats, Kiyoko stood up from her seat and clapped her hands. The room quieted down as Kiyoko cleared her throat and signalled for her chunin assistants to hand out the exam papers. "I am Kiyoko Totsuhara, and for today, I shall be your proctor. As you can clearly see, this is a written exam, but that does not mean it is to be taken lightly. Over 15% of you will fail this exam, so do not underestimate it. As soon as you receive your paper turn it over immediately and do not allow any of your neighbors to see what it contains. On it are a detailed list of instructions that you are to follow exactly. If you do not know what a word means you must do what you think it means. A chunin is someone who is able to follow and orders and correctly interpret orders that they do not understand. You have 1 hour. Begin."

It only took half a minute for someone to start complaining. "What the fuck is this!? I ain't doing this shit!" Kiyoko smirked and snapped her fingers.

"Genin in seat #123, you and your teammates are hereby eliminated from the Chunin exams for not following orders." The genin in question stood up in anger and was about to yell at Kiyoko until one of his teammates appeared and dragged him off.

Just like with any other written exam by a shinobi, there are two things that the test taker must accomplish. Be it being able to cheat without getting caught and following through no matter what, or like with this test, being able to correctly interpret, intentionally misinformed directions and be able to correctly solve the problem despite those wrong orders.

As the test went by, more and more people were caught disobeying the increasingly ludicrous directions. A lot more were getting very, very frustrated at the very wrong instructions that they had been given. Though of course, there were those who breezed through the test like it was nothing. Her brother Kizuna and his teammates, the Namikaze kid, the Worldbreaker's sister and Shigure Kaguya's apprentice.

 _Hmm…Sendou Yuki_. There was something about the girl that Kiyoko couldn't put her finger on. The girl had long purple white hair with a single white bang. As far as Kiyoko could tell, she finished the test the fastest. Though only by a few milliseconds faster than the Namikaze boy. In fact, 4 people finished the exam within 5 milliseconds of one another. Sendou Yuki, Naruto Namikaze, her little brother, and her brother's best friend Byakuya Takeda. This was starting to look interesting.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Time's up little kiddies! Fold your paper in half lengthwise and pass it to the front, do not let anyone else see your paper or else you will be disqualified." Again outrage sparked within the genin, but eventually they got over it. Kiyoko smirked and sat down in her seat. "Now, can anyone tell me what the purpose of the test was again?"

The Namikaze brat spoke up. "To see if we can follow orders correctly."

"Correct, but did anyone catch the hidden objective of the exam? Did any of you notice anything weird about some of your instructions? Maybe a few misspelled words, comepletely wrong instructions among other things?"

It was Naruto Namikaze who spoke up again. "The hidden purpose of the exam was to test our ability to interpret wrong information and be able to figure out what they mean and how to correctly solve problems with wrong directions." _Kid's smart, but anyone with half a brain and good eyes could see what the point of this is all is._ "But there's more to this than just that is there?"

A wide grin spread on Kiyoko's face. "Correct. Regroup with your teammates. We'll be doing one last little test to determine whether or not you pass this first exam."

"So you're saying that we could've aced the exam and yet you could fail us because you didn't like the answer we gave during this last exam?" Kizuna called out. _I know you'll make the right choice little brother._

"Essentially yes. Now we shall begin." Kiyoko took a deep breath. "Whoever is the leader of the squad, pull out a kunai." They did so. "Now I want you to kill the closet person to you."

It seemed that no one was expecting that. But despite the clear urge to do it and move on, no one moved an inch. Finally someone gave into the urge. It was one of the teams from Sound. But before the one with the bandages could kill the girl one of Kiyoko's assistants stepped in. "W-what!? But I was doing as you told me to!"

"Yes, but you have to have to be able to realize when an order is bad and must be ignored. Shuzo, kick his team out. Everyone else…good luck on your next exam. Have a good hour long break. You'll need it." Kiyoko walked out of the room leaving behind a room full of excited teens.

* * *

 _Blue Bolt Bar, Commercial District, Kumogakure_

 _11:00 a.m._

* * *

 **The clock** struck 11, just as Izaya entered the bar. The 2nd exam was starting in a couple of minutes if Izaya was correct. The rest of the Warlords should've been there for at least 30 minutes now. Izaya liked to make people wait. It made them irritated and angry and easy to make fun of. But it wasn't hard. Izaya wanted a challenge when he broke someone. It was no fun when they shattered into a million pieces in a couple sentences. But today, Izaya would let it slide. Especially since he could hardly get a reaction out of any of the Warlords.

Shigure Kaguya. She was one tough cookie to crack, but he managed to do it. He managed to anger the Queen of Blades to the point where Arashi Namikaze and Takahashi Tanaka had to hold her back. Izaya had said that she was a tough one to break, but she was the easiest out of the others. Her homeland and the atrocities committed to her clan were _very_ sore spots for her and despite how hard the only living Kaguya left tried not to let it get it to her, Izaya always knew how to get his insults past her thick skin.

 _I say Shigure is the easiest, but really Tetsuna is the one that gives me the worst reactions._ Every little thing he did got a rise out of her and Izaya knew that 90% of those were fake and thusly, don't count. Of course the reactions he got out of Tetsuya weren't that good either. Tetsuya and Tetsuna, despite being twins, were the farthest thing apart personality wise. Tetsuna was, in every sense of the word, a man child. She preferred to lounge around and just play rather than actually do anything. And it helped when you could master any Jutsu given to you on the first try.

On the other hand, Tetsuya always seemed like he was thinking about some really hard puzzle and just seemed intent on finishing it no matter what. Izaya had never seen the guy smile once. Heck, Izaya had never seen his lips change from a straight line! It's like he had absolutely no emotions. He was no fun! He was the only person who Izaya had yet to break. And that would not do. There was no person whom Izaya couldn't break.

A hot waitress, who couldn't have been more than 17 years old, led Izaya to a special room in the back of the bar where the rest of the Warlords were waiting for him. She opened the door for him and blushed as Izaya shot her a wink and swiftly slipped a piece of paper with his number on it. A loud sigh reached Izaya's ears as Izaya closed the door behind him.

"At it again are you Worldbreaker?"

The Headsman. _How wonderful_. Izaya whirled around and was met with a blank green stare. It was often said that Takahashi Tanaka's eyes were soulless. But they were none more soulless than Izaya's own. "Why yes I am. Headsman. If you want, I could help you on that front." Izaya and Takahashi had always been at odds. There was something about Izaya that had rubbed Takahashi the wrong way and Takahashi was…very interesting. Izaya didn't like that. He didn't like how others thought of Takahashi as a person to be wary of. Izaya didn't like that one bit. And he was going to change that and change it soon.

Sitting across from him and watching the T.V screen intently was Arashi Namikaze. The T.V was currently showing the beginning of the second exam. Currently the Kumogakure Ninja known as Rukawa Kurasawa was currently making a speech about the exam. Something about stealth. Something like that. Beside the Golden God of Konoha was the Queen of Bones herself, Shigure Kaguya. She regarded Izaya like he was the worst thing to ever walk the earth. Which he may been to her. "Shigure-chan. How are you doing?" She ignored him and crossed her legs.

To her right was Tetsuya Shibuki. His long blonde hair had apparently been cut short since the last time that Izaya had seen him. And just like always, his mouth was pressed into a thin line, and his light blue eyes were just as lifeless as Izaya remembered them to be.

"Well, seems you guys got here pretty early. You know it's fashionable to be late guys. You might do well to know that." With a grunt, Shigure flicked her feet towards him and a bottle of beer flew through the air. "Ah, why thank you your Grace. Your majesty's thoughtfulness knows no bounds surely." Kaguya-san growled as her gaze flickered over to his angrily. "Now, now, no need to be violent. We're all friends here aren't we?"

It was at this moment that Tetsuna decided to come out of the washroom. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail. As soon as she saw Izaya, the corners of her lips curled up into an amused smile. Out of all the Warlords, Izaya got along with her the best. He thought of her as a kindred spirit to say the least. Though that was something that Shigure would vehemently deny. "Of course we are Izaya-kun. We wouldn't be drinking beer with each other otherwise. Though admittedly were are not the best of friends."

"The second exam is starting." Arashi's quiet voice rang through the room. Everyone turned to look at him. Some with respect, and others, most noticeably Takahashi, glared at him with contempt.

Izaya sat down next to Shigure who shifted away from him. "Ah. The Second exam is always different depending on the village. But we all took the same exam did we not? In that very same mountain range. I remember it like it was yesterday. Arashi breaking the record for the fastest time by a mile, The Queen and Princess battling it out, almost to the death. Tetsuya scaring the crap out of his opponent so badly that he shit his pants on the spot and later causing him to commit suicide because of the shame and humiliation." If that affected him, Tetsuya didn't let it show. _Oh well. I wasn't really expecting him to react to it anyways._ "But from what I understand, they've changed it up this exam."

"Correct. When we were here, the goal was to reach the top of Mt. Toru with the badges of opponents beaten in combat. Now, from what I understand, the goal is to complete some puzzle and go to the location given by the puzzle and recover some sort of artifact. Then the team must travel to the top of Mt. Toru without being discovered by the Chunin sentries." Once again Arashi spoke up, as he picked up a crumpled ball of paper and tossed it over to Izaya. "Am I right Takahashi?"

The Headsman nodded.

The mountain range in which the second exam was taking place was one of the harshest known environments in the ninja world. The mountains were elevated nearly 20 thousand feet above sea level and the tip of Mt. Toru was 30 thousand feet above sea level. The paths up to the summit were quite often very icy and full of deadly mutated wolves, bears and giant snow leopards Add to the freezing temperatures which, often went below -50 degrees Celsius, more often than not killed unprepared hikers and climbers. But the most dangerous part of it? Mt. Toru was an active volcano. The last time it had erupted was during the rebellion when Gaou Totsuhara had figured out a way to make it erupt on command.

And now, there were approximately a hundred teams on that mountain range. From the map of the range that was currently on screen, there were only 20 artifacts throughout the mountain range. 5 of which were in the forests at the base of Mt. Toru alone. Another 5 were in a remote village on the other side of the mountain range, 5 more were spread out on the mountain ridge and the last 5 were in the valley to the northeast of the mountain range. "Hmm…I see. 25 teams in in each sector, only 25 teams move on. Not counting those who die. Hmm, so that probably means that there might be less than 20 teams after the second exam is over." Izaya muttered to himself, a grin spreading across his face. "By the time it reaches Friday the forest will be coated in blood, the valley walls will be stained with crimson and that village will be drowning in scarlet."

Tetsuna frowned. "Must you be so pessimistic Izaya? Aren't you worried that your sister might not live by the end of this?"

Izaya scoffed. "As if. The chances of Ayase dying are lower than the chance that Takahashi gets called the leader of the group despite it clearly being me." Izaya could almost swear that he saw the corner of Arashi's mouth twitch into a smile. Tetsuna did smile and Takahashi growled. "But still, Ayase's my sister. I've got a million Ryo on her winning the tournament. There is no way she is dying before that. I won't allow it."

The Queen of Bones snorted. "What? If you're sister loses, you're gonna be dead. Because last I checked, you didn't have a million ryo. You don't even have 10 000. What the hell are you gonna do?"

Izaya felt a smirk forming on his face. "Oh you'll know when you see it. Trust me."

* * *

 _Forest of Toru, the Land of Lightning_

 _6:18 a.m._

* * *

 **The forest** was still dark at this time of hour. Perfect enough cover to get in and take the artifact quickly. According to his chakra sensing, the only people that were nearby were his friends and one other unknown signature. _Hmm…A sentry maybe? That'd be too easy. No. I have to assume that it's an enemy scout and not a sentry. But what if it is?_ Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Sasuke poke his head above the branch from the tree from which he was hiding. He shot Naruto a look and bade him to continue ahead.

With a sigh, Naruto did so. He had expected glares of coldness and underlying whispers of hatred, but rather all he got, was ignorance. And Naruto wasn't sure if that was worse or not. But Naruto did know one thing, and that was that his friends would not let this drama get to them. They wanted to get to the final exam badly. Very badly and they would do so, even if they weren't on the best terms with their most powerful teammate. And Naruto had no doubt that they could.

He hadn't been there when it happened, but he had heard from Kakashi that Naruko bet on _him_ to win it all. While her confidence in her brother was nice and all, Naruto wasn't sure if he could live up to the pressure of it. There were a lot of powerful opponents to face and Naruto didn't know how a single one of them fought.

There was the one called Ayase Araraki. She was the brother of one of most powerful shinobi alive. The Worldbreaker. If she was like her brother at all, then there would be trouble. He had long heard Arashi's many complaints about the girl's brother. About how unpredictable he was, how Arashi couldn't tell what he was planning, how the Worldbreaker always seemed to have a backup plan for anything. If Ayase Araraki was anything like Izaya Araraki, then things would be a little difficult.

The girl from Kiri, Sendou Yuki was a mystery. Naruto just couldn't get a good read out on her. She finished the written exam faster than even he, and yet remained content with not answering the questions that the proctor asked of exam takers, despite clearly knowing the answers. She was a mystery to whom there weren't many clues about, and those were the kinds that Naruto absolutely hated. That and the one's with so much clues that it's hard to figure out which what to do. But this was not the case with Sendou Yuki. His team would have to be very wary of her.

Gaara from Suna was interesting. Naruto could tell when someone was a Jinchuriki just by the acidity of their chakra alone. And Gaara's chakra was very acidic. He was dangerous to be sure, but he seemed to be predictable compared to others.

But no one worried Naruto as much as the cause of all his problems. Kizuna Totsuhara. He was powerful, there was no doubt to that. He walked with a swagger that Naruto had only seen in jonin. Especially those who've been in a war. And if Naruto was right, then Kizuna had fought in the rebellion himself, giving the redhead an extreme advantage in exams live this. Plus the fact that he lived in this area gave him a very, very unfair advantage.

Figuring out where and what their artifact was easy. Figuring out a way to get there without getting caught was the hard part. From Sasuke's earlier sweep of the premises, there were 10 different guards, all in 5 man shifts, with the shifts changing every three quarters of an hour. The artifact was located in a 4 storey tower in the center of the forest. Originally, Sayoko wanted to run in there and kill everyone before they even knew we were there. But no one agreed with that idea. But Naruto had a feeling that if _he_ vetoed the idea, then everyone else would agree to do it, so he just remained quiet.

The artifact itself didn't seem to be all that special. A giant body sized mirror with crystals of all kinds embedded into its frame. Rubies, diamonds, sapphires, emeralds you name it, it was in the mirror. Interestingly enough, the mirror frame itself seemed to be made out of beryl. Sasuke had spotted the mirror though a window when he was doing his sweep of the outpost. From his spot atop the trees Naruto could faintly see the top right of the mirror.

Naruto closed his eyes and began to send his chakra out in waves. More people had shown up in the 30 seconds he had wasted waiting for his friends to get into position. He couldn't take it anymore and vanished from the trees. It seemed that the only one who had caught him move was Sasuke who followed along. Everyone else saw Sasuke move through the air and they themselves began to move.

With a grunt, Naruto landed on top of the roof just in front of the tower in which the artifact was stationed in. Looking to the right, one of the guards stood up from his post in the guardhouse and began to move to the break room within the tower, while his replacement wandered out of the tower itself. Naruto made eye contact with Sasuke for a split second before disappearing. He reappeared between the two guards just as they crossed each other. Before either could react, Naruto had already knocked both out. The replacement getting hit in the back of the neck with a chakra enhanced hammer fist and the other guard got a chakra enhanced throat chop.

Without stopping Naruto ran into the tower as Sasuke dropped down and quickly cleaned his mess up. From the corner of his eyes, Naruto spotted Sakurai peer up over his cover and shoot him a glance before jerking his head to the right.

Turning his head to the right, Naruto saw an opposing shinobi come into view. He wore a Kumogakure headband. For a second Naruto's heart beat increased until the Kumo genin's face became more visible. _Not Kizuna_. With extreme quickness, Naruto lunged forward and grabbed the poor teen's head, pulled him into a closet and quickly knocked him out. Naruto thought about permanently taking him out of the picture but decided against it.

Quickly checking for any other interlopers, Naruto dashed up the stairs as quietly as possible. He didn't want to run up the walls and get to the tower quicker because then that would alert any chakra sensitive in the area.

Chakra sensitives are different from Chakra sensors in that Chakra sensitives always know when someone in the area is using chakra. How large the area is varies on one sensitive to another, but the average area is the size a small park. Even the slightest use of chakra could set them off. And Naruto couldn't risk that. For some reason, none of his teammates thought of the idea until Naruto brought it up. _They need to clear their minds. And soon. Otherwise there's no way they're going to get far at all._

As he reached the top of the roof, Naruto peeked around a corner. There was no one within the vicinity that he could see or hear. Then the sound of footsteps reached his ears and from the corner of his eyes, Naruto could see the boots of one of the guards making his rounds. Moving fast, Naruto rushed in and quickly knocked the guard out and kicked him close to a window where Naruko promptly dropped in and took the body away to some place to hide.

However Naruto was not the first person in the room as it seemed to him earlier. Waiting for him in the dark was a teen with crimson hair and mismatched red and gold eyes. _Kizuna_. Naruto thought angrily as the Kumogakure favourite stepped out from the shadows. _This doesn't make any sense. I should've detected him earlier when I…_ It was then that Naruto realized that he did not in fact check to see if there were any foreign chakra in the room. Still, the mystery as to how Kizuna managed to sneak in without Naruto or his team noticing.

Kizuna took a step forward and the light shone upon a shiny silver statue in his hands. There were glowing characters engraved on the base of the statue and eyes of the statue were made of sapphire. Kizuna seemed to have sensed Naruto's tension as he let a mischievous smile form on his face.

"I take it things haven't been well with your teammates has it?" Naruto didn't respond and instead his gaze moved to the mirror sitting on an ornate mahogany desk. "Ah. Are you worried? Don't be. My squad has already found our artifact. It was quite easy to say the least. The village on the other side of the mountain has the best natural defenses to say the least, with the mountain walls to the north, a cliff to the west and a 4 kilometer wide river to the south as well as a very dense rock formation to the east, there's almost no way to get into the village without being spotted by 4 towers that look over all four cardinal directions. But little did they know about a cave on the riverbank that leads to an underground tunnel directly under a temple in which they a set of 6 guards that rotate locations every hour. Though whoever was planning their rotation made a little mistake. In between the Great Hall and one of side hallways, is only one guard. Heh. How stupid to think that one man can cover an area of 150 cm2. So I took advantage of that and snuck between shifts and nabbed this little thing right here."

"What does this have to do with why you're here specifically? I don't have to time to listen to your bullshit right now. There are some people that are waiting for me and I don't to make them wait longer than necessary." Naruto said with as much venom as he could muster. Which really wasn't that much. His redheaded rival simply smiled and tossed him the mirror. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he caught the mirror with one hand while pulling out a scroll with the other hand. Yet he never lost track of Kizuna. "What are you planning?"

The smile on Kizuna's face grew into a near maniacal grin. "What, I can't help out a friend in need?" Naruto growled and if it was at all possible, Kizuna's grin grew even wider and his eyes gained a crazy light in them. "Well…maybe not friends, but rivals. I simply want you to be at your absolute best when you and I…battle out in the Skydome in front of 5 million spectators and broadcasted to millions more all around the elemental nations. My victory wouldn't feel right if you lose to me so easily."

"I won't lose to you. Not now, not ever, and definitely not when I'm at my best. When we battle, I'll make sure to break you. I'll break you slow and hard, to make you feel the pain of it all. And then maybe you'll realize what a bad Idea targeting me is." Kizuna laughed and began to walk away. The grin on his face disappeared and was replaced with a cold and calculating thin smile.

"We shall see Naruto Namikaze…We shall see indeed. I shall see at the Skydome in one month. And I cannot wait."

Kizuna disappeared in a swirl of lightning, the signature Body Flicker of Kumogakure ninja. Naruto stood in place for a moment before angrily kicking a wooden chair to splinters before leaving the room. _Why am I acting like this? I'm never like this! Maybe the pressure is finally getting to me. Ugh. No. I can't use that as an excuse. But ugh! That guy just irks me in ways that not even Sasuke or Kenji can._ Naruto didn't even notice one of the guards step in his way until the guard attempted to strike him.

His reflexes immediately took over and Naruto swung his right hand into the guard's chest, right above the guard's heart. The guard immediately stepped back and put her hands to her chest as moments later, her heart exploded from the force of Naruto's blow. The exploding heart may have made more noise than wanted as the rest of team 7 dropped in from the shadows.

"What the fuck did you do that for!? You didn't have to kill her!" Naruko hissed at him as Sasuke scooped the guard up and hopped away to the where he had hidden the other bodies. "Ugh…You know what, you can make up excuses later. I…We don't have time for this. Where's the mirror?" Naruto pointed to the scroll on his back. You were in there for an awfully long time you know. Did you run into any complications?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. I just swept the area for some more info. Nothing. Waste of time really. Has anyone troubling shown up at all?"

"Not really. But I thought I sensed that bastard Kizuna in here somewhere." Naruko narrowed her eyes at Naruto as they leapt from tree branch to tree branch. "You didn't see him anywhere did you?"

"No. I'm not saying he wasn't here, I sensed him as well. I just didn't see him. He could've been spying on us or something. I don't know. I do know that he was here." What Naruko and company didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Not if he had anything to say about it.

Soon they reached the base of mountain. The road that lead up to the summit of the mountain was guarded by only 4 people, but from what Naruto could tell, they were all chunin at least. But nothing that he and his team couldn't handle. Naruto raised his two fingers and Sasuke unleashed a very, very subtle Genjutsu. The chunin guards didn't seem to notice the Genjutsu, which allowed Sakurai and Sayoko to slip in past the checkpoint unnoticed.

After the Genjutsu, Naruto threw a rock at a nearby tree, drawing the attention of three of the four guards, allowing Sasuke and Naruko to slip past the fourth guard who was looking down the road. _Tsk_. _Does this girl really think that a team is just going to bust in through the front door. Are they stupid?_ Sasuke sat atop the guardhouse and gave Naruto a signal. Naruto nodded.

As the guards got closer, Naruto quickly rushed towards the three guards, grabbed the two closest, slammed their heads together, before flipping upwards into a kick, knocking out the last guard. Meanwhile, Sasuke flipped in front of the last guard, wrapped his legs around her neck and slowly choked her unconscious.

Naruto took one last look around before making his way towards Sasuke. "All clear. Let's hurry." Sasuke simply nodded. Naruto sighed. _Guess he's still upset huh? Who knew Sasuke "I'm Perfect" Uchiha's head was so easy to get into? Well, aside from me of course._ "Still upset eh?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, not really. Just wondering whether or not you really have been holding back on us. Now that I think about, I think I would've known whether or not you're holding back. You're not the type of person who holds back. For as long as I've known you, you've never held back. You've always gone at things full blast, 100%. It's just your nature. But, I think that Kizuna was right about one thing."

"And what's that?"

"You have the potential to very, very powerful Naruto. Very. I admit it. Just as Kizuna said, you have an aura about you that just _tells_ me that you're powerful. I can't explain it." Naruto remained silent. "What he also said about us holding you back is true. Once you become a chunin, you don't have to go on missions with us. You can go on as many B-rank missions as you want. As many C-rank missions as you want. Without us holding you back…."

"Sasuke. You don't actually believe that do you? You guys aren't a liability. You guys aren't useless and you guys definitely don't hold me back. And I've never, ever held my power back. Not when my life and others are on the line. And all of you have the same chance to become as powerful as I can. I am _not_ the chosen one of some dumb ancient prophecy. I am not." But was that really true? One of the most powerful Shinobi, if not _the_ most powerful of all time, Kirei Uchiha, was called the Chosen One. The one who would either destroy the Shinobi world, what he was trying to do now, or save the world, what he had done when he defeated Lady Kaguya over 2 decades ago. But Naruto refused to believe that one bit. He was not, nor would he ever be, the Chosen One.

 _Demigod._

He was not some sort of hero who would save everyone.

 _Demigod._

He was not the saviour of everything. Because nothing needed to be saved!

 _Demigod._

And he would not abandon his friends. Not now, not ever. Not because some asshole questions their usefulness.

 _Demigod._

Naruto's eyes burned with a fury. _I'm coming for you Kizuna. You shall see how wrong you are._

* * *

 _Raiden Tower, Kumogakure_

 _7:30 a.m._

 _End of the Second Exam_

* * *

 **Ino yawned** as she, Shikamaru and Choji made their way to the auditorium at the top floor of the tower in the center of the city. Team 10 had been one of the last teams to get to the summit of Mt. Toru with their artifact. It wasn't like it was hard to figure out where and what their artifact was, the journey to the Summit of the mountain was unbearable. The freezing conditions made Ino rethink her thoughts on _cold_. Nothing back in Konoha would ever be able to compare to the cold in Kumo. She felt as if she was going to freeze to death. But thanks to Shikamaru's foresight, Ino had packed a fairly thick jacket.

Aside from the deathly temperatures, the terrain was impossible to traverse at Shinobi speed. Running simply wouldn't cut it. The snow would've been up to her thighs at the least, if once again, Shikamaru hadn't suggested trying to walk atop the snow using Chakra. The temperature and the terrain and the other genin weren't the only threats that Team 10 had faced in the second exam. Giant wolves, bears, leopards, and snow hawks roamed the land. They ate most of the food that normally exam takers would've used and they also attacked anyone who came near them. To make matters worse, the deep snow didn't seem like it even bothered them, not that it would've bothered the snow hawk anyways.

While Team 10 had gotten their artifact fairly on, they laid low most of the exam, slowly making their way to the summit of Mt. Toru, using scorched earth tactics as best as they could. Though there was one point when Ino thought that they would die.

Team 10 had run into one of the teams that Shikamaru had been sorely wanting to avoid, saying that they would've been more trouble than they were worth. But then again, wasn't that the case for most things for Shikamaru? Ino simply wrote it off, saying that Shikamaru was worried about nothing. Until Ino realized how stupid that was. This was _Shikamaru_. Sure he may have been a lazy asshole, but he was a lazy _smart_ asshole. If he was wary about this team, then why shouldn't she?

Who was the team that they had run into? It was lone team from Iwagakure. The one that the proctors were calling, _the Bloodline Trio_. Ino was smart enough to know what that meant. Three bloodline users on the same team? _That's cheating_ , Ino recalled saying to Naruko, who agreed whole heartedly. But then again, was the girl on a team of _5_ really someone who should be saying anything about another team having an unfair disadvantage? Probably not.

It was on the first day of the 2nd exam. Around 3 hours had passed by, and Shikamaru was formulating a plan on how to get into the village without being seen, when Ino, who was on watch, spotted the girl from Iwa come out of a bush. Ino stayed silent and frantically signalled to her teammates who quickly, yet quietly made their way to her perch above the tree line. Far away in a nearby clearing was the girl from Iwa, whom Ino would later find out was named Ayase. Following behind her were her two teammates, with one of them carrying an unusually large vase with large glowing characters etched into the porcelain, and seemed to be arguing about something. Shikamaru had been more than content on letting go of with what he assumed was their artifact, when all of a sudden another team intervened. It was a team from the Village Hidden in the Sound.

The team from Sound demanded that the Bloodline Trio hand over the artifact, to which the Bloodline Trio simply ignored them. Clearly growing frustrated the leader of the Sound team raised his metal arm and seemed like he was about to attack the Trio. Until all of a sudden, the girl vanished. For a second Ino thought that the girl had figured out where she had been hiding. Boy did she feel relieved and horrified when the girl reappeared behind the leader of the Sound team and snapped his neck without any hesitation. The other male of the sound attempted to attack her, only to be vivisected by the male with black hair, with what seemed to be thin air. The only girl of the Sound team stubbornly and stupidly decided to attack as well, trying to succeed where her teammates had failed. Too bad the one with vase simply stomped his foot on the ground and caused a pillar of earth to sprout from the ground, which the Sound girl ran into. But that wasn't all that happened as the pillar _exploded_.

The Bloodline Trio had just effortlessly defeated-no slaughtered a team like it was a Tuesday, like it was something that they did every day. But that wasn't what terrified Ino. What terrified her was the fact that they did it with any remorse or showed any emotion at all, like the lives of the people they had just killed meant nothing. And that lack of humanity terrified Ino more than anything.

Needless to say, when Ino saw the Bloodline Trio to their direct right as they lined up in front of the Raikage who was about to give a speech, it terrified her. Absolutely terrified her. They were simply acting normal. Like they hadn't just brutally murdered someone. Granted Ino knew that all of Team 7 had killed people before, she knew that they felt remorse and showed some form of emotion when they first killed. Hell, it was the first time that Ino had seen Sayoko even cry! But the Bloodline Trio showed absolutely no remorse.

Ino felt herself jump when a familiar hand gripped her by the shoulder. It was Naruko. "Are you alright? You seem kinda out of it, like something's distracting you." Ino shook her head and mouthed that she was fine and bade Naruko to return to her spot in the line beside Ino.

"Ahem. May I please have your attention? Everyone snapped to attention as the Raikage spoke up. The Raikage was not who Ino pictured he would be. Ino expected him to be a more fearsome and intimidating individual. Though not as muscular or intimidating as the previous Raikage. But the current Raikage exuded an aura of intelligence and spoke with an eloquence that Ino knew Shikamaru was capable of if he tried. "Ah good. Congratulations to all 16 teams that have made it this far. You have all shown yourselves to not only be capable fighters, but capable shinobi. You have shown yourselves to be able to make your own decisions and discern whether or not an order is bad. You have all shown yourselves capable of surviving and adapting to your surroundings and environments. There are 3 teams that I would specifically like to praise. Team 7 from Konoha, in their beautiful displays of teamwork. Team 4 from Iwa, in their amazing show of force, and our very own Team 9 for their excellence in tactics. I expect you all to pass these preliminaries." Everyone looked around. "Yes. There are 52 of you, and that is far too many. Far, far too many. We expected there to be at least 11 teams which we would cut down to 16, but there are 52 of you and we must lessen that number to 8 for the main tournament." The Raikage turned to the redheaded man to his side. The redheaded man sighed and stepped up.

"To start, is there anyone who is willing to drop out from this point? We will not judge you, and this is not another test. If you simply cannot go on then raise your hand and you will simply watch from the sidelines. Note that if your teammate drops out that does not mean you have as well. From here on out, this is every man and woman for themselves. From here on out, it will be a show of force. Now, raise your hand if you cannot go on." Ino was surprised at just how many hands went up. One by one, more and more people left until the floor was sparsely populated. "Hmm…There are exactly 32 people left. That means that at the end of this, there will be 16 of you, but that is still too much. So we will cut that number in half down to 8." The redheaded man looked around before speaking one last time.

"May the preliminaries begin."

* * *

 **(Waiting for the Rain-Asterisk War ED)**

 ***FYI Asterisk War _sucks_. The only redeeming qualities about it are the opening and ending. But if you're into shitty generic harems, go and watch it.***


	17. The Worldbreaker Plots

**(Kimino Shiranai Monogatari-Supercell)**

* * *

 _Raiden Tower, Kumogakure_

 _7:25 A.M._

 _Round 1 Match #1_

* * *

 **As they** made their way up to the stands, far above the arena floor, Sasuke looked up at the giant screen above the statue of a pair of hands in the Dragon hand seal. He would never admit it to anybody, but he was nervous. The amount of competition that could potentially rival even his own best friend was large. Ranging from the weird purple haired girl from Kiri to the annoyingly arrogant and smug Kizuna from Kumo. And none of them Sasuke wanted to face. But given his terrible luck, Sasuke had no doubt that he would be facing a tough one.

The wall in front of them lit up. The Headsman stood in front of it, hands held out before snapping his fingers. There will be two preliminary rounds! After the first round, only 16 of you will remain. After the second round the final 8 shall move on to the tournament exam exactly one month from now. Are we clear!?"

A unanimous yes echoed throughout the arena. Takahashi Tanaka then nodded before turning to the screen. "Match number 1 will be…"

Everyone held their breath. To Sasuke's right, Naruto was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed, heart beat and breathing as calm as if he was simply at the beach or the park. It irked Sasuke how he couldn't read what Naruto wasn't thinking. It was so hard for him to understand. But he would have to deal with it.

Beside Naruto was his twin sister. Naruko had her hands inter twined as she nervously bit her lip. Why was she nervous? She was certainly one of the stronger one's in the exam. Though her style of attack was extremely limited due to her reliance on her summons, but regardless of that, she was dangerous.

Sayoko seemed to be extremely focused right now. He hadn't seen that kind of light in her eyes in a long time. She was slightly bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet and clenching her fists tightly every other moment or so while looking intently at the giant board. To her right and Sasuke's left, Sakurai was also intently watching the board as name after name flashed on screen before it slowed down.

 **SASUKE UCHIHA**

 **VS**

 **BYAKUYA TAKEDA**

Sasuke cursed his luck. Maybe Naruto's luck had gotten so bad to the point where it was starting to actually interfere with his own. Ah whatever.

"Good luck Sasuke. Don't die." Naruko said, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a grin, though her eyes showed him how she truly felt. She was nervous for him. He couldn't understand why though.

Sakurai patted him on the back. "Break a leg out there bro, hopefully not your own though."

Beside him Sayoko shifted in place and shot him a grin. "Go kick his butt and show the way of the Uchiha." Kakashi looked up from his book and gave Sasuke an encouraging look. _Seriously, that's all I get? Well, whatever._

"Take this seriously Sasuke, but don't show off all of your cards. Some of these people will be your opponent later on, and some of them are really good. That being said, go hard, and go fast." Kakashi told him immediately afterwards.

"Thank you sensei."

And then finally Naruto turned to him. "He's dangerous, that much I can tell. Not only that, but he's a member of Kizuna's team from what I've seen. If that's any an indication of anything, it's that this guy isn't normal. Don't underestimate him. Though he will underestimate you. You got that?"

Sasuke nodded before dropping down.

His opponent was across from him, doing side lunges. Byakuya Takeda didn't look like the other members of his team. Both his teammates were redheads, but Byakuya's blonde hair may as well have been white with how light it was. He was fairly tall, maybe a 2 to 3 inches taller than Sasuke. _Hmm…His arms are pretty long. That gives him an even better reach._ That meant that he could hit Sasuke from farther away despite not being closer. His opponent wore an unzipped white hoodie that seemed normal, if not for the fact that Sasuke could see the form of the weights underneath the fabric.

"So this is an Uchiha eh? I have to say, I'm not impressed. I thought your aura would be more…" A disappointed look filled Byakuya's eyes. "…Exciting. Ah well, I haven't had a fight in over a week, so I guess you'll have to do."

Sasuke felt a smirk form on his lips. "I guess I will. Don't be too surprised when you lose then. It's what you get for underestimating me." Byakuya let out a laugh,

"We'll see if it so. If I shall fall to you, I will never hear the end of it from Kizuna or Seiju. But as if I would lose to you."

"Tch. As you said, we'll see. If my words aren't good enough, then my fists will be."

The headsman snapped his fingers grabbing everyone's attention. He was to the right of the Raikage. Takahashi Tanaka raised his arm into the air. Sasuke's muscles were taut like a bowstring as he slowly shifted into a stance, whilst his opponent merely spread his arms apart and mockingly bowed towards him.

"Let match 1 number of the preliminaries begin!"

Quickly and silently, Sasuke darted forward, and threw a quick left hook at Byakuya's face. Byakuya simply titled his head and remained in still. Sasuke flipped and slid to a stop a couple of meters away from Byakuya who had yet to take a step. _The hell? Is he just going to stand there or something?_ Sasuke felt his blood begin to boil as Byakuya looked over his shoulder and shot him a smirk.

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fist tight, Sasuke again rushed forward. As he reached Byakuya, he feinted low and unleashed a barrage of strikes towards Byakuya's upper body. Again his opponent did nothing but dodge and duck and tilt his body, and did not move a single bit. With an uncharacteristic yell Sasuke raised both his hands into the air, clasped them together and brought them down with force.

"Haha, are you trying, like, at all? Come on." Byakuya reached up and caught Sasuke's hammer fist with one hand and thrust his fist into the Uchiha's gut, sending Sasuke flying into a wall. _Damnit. He has yet to even take a single step! Well, I guess if Taijutsu won't work, then maybe it's time I bust out some Ninjutsu!_

Sasuke's hands blurred into a set of handseals as he ran towards Byakuya, who remained still, his head twisting and turning, keeping track of Sasuke. " _Fire Release: Dragon Fire Missile!_ As Sasuke inhaled deeply, Byakuya, knowingly smiled. Sasuke then exhaled a wide of column of fire directly at Byakuya. _That ought to get him good._

Soon the smoke cleared. Byakuya stood in the center of the arena like he was a statue his arms to the side, as if asking Sasuke ' _Was that it?'_ , "As I've said before my Uchiha opponent, was that it? I was expecting more out of you. Way more. But it seems my faith was wrongly put in you. Don't worry, not everyone can live up to my expectations."

"Don't get too cocky, I haven't even activated my Sharingan."

"As if that would change anything. But, go on. Prove me wrong Uchiha. Show me why the Uchiha are the greatest clan that there is. And I will more than gladly prove you wrong and I shall revel in your pain and laugh at your humiliation." Byakuya leant forward, one arm behind his back and gestured for Sasuke to attack him.

Sasuke's Sharingan whirled to life, yet he remained still. Despite Byakuya's open stance, Sasuke felt hesitant in attacking him. The other seemed to notice this and titled his head back in amusement. "If you shall not attack me, then I shall."

"GAH!"

Byakuya disappeared and reappeared in front of Sasuke, his fist twisting as it made contact with Sasuke's gut. He then swung his other fist into Sasuke's jaw. Sasuke raised his arm and deflected the blow and pushed off of Byakuya, propelling him a great distance. Though it would seem that Byakuya cared not for this as he almost immediately rushed forward and spun into a side kick. With nowhere to go and the wall getting closer and closer behind him as he backed up, Sasuke planted both feet onto the wall and pushed off, narrowly avoiding being turned to dust. The force of Byakuya's kick decimating the wall it touched.

"Come on! Stop running!" Byakuya called out, springing forward, cork-screwing through the air. Reaching into his weapon's pouch Sasuke wrapped his fingers around a pair of kunai and threw them at the spinning Byakuya. One above him and one below. Then using the super thin, almost invisible, ninja wire attached the two kunai pins Byakuya to the floor "Oh fuck you! That's fucking cheating!"

Sasuke ignored him. " _Fire Release-'"_

"Yeah, no." Byakuya broke free from his restraints and rammed his foot into Sasuke's neck before unleashing barrage of kicks to his body, leg and face. "No, no, no, no, no! No fire! No wires! And no Nin-'" A violent side kick to the gut. "Jut-'" Another high roundhouse kick to the jaw. "Su!" Barely dodging the spinning back kick, Sasuke drops down low and swings his leg in a semi-circle. Of course, Byakuya jumped up and in midair flips away.

With Byakuya's back turned to him, Sasuke spat out a miniature version of the grand fireball. The smoke covered figure of Byakuya landed quickly and dashed through the smoke and swung his arm in a clothesline. Sasuke ducked and felt the air suck out of him as Byakuya spun out of the clothesline and dug his elbow into Sasuke's gut, spun around once more and kicked him in the side.

Before Sasuke even made contact with wall, Byakuya rushed towards him and drove his knee into Sasuke's chest and into the wall behind him. The force of the blow imbedded Sasuke into the wall. "Huh. Would you look at that? I've made art!" Byakuya turned to Sasuke with a crazy grin on his face. "You look like you need to charge up." He quickly ran through a set of seals and raised his hand into the air, arcs of electricity and sparks forming around it. " _Lightning Release: Crackling Fist."_

Quick as lightning Byakuya rushed forward before Sasuke could free himself from the wall and jabbed him in the stomach with his lightning encased fist. "GAH!"

As everything went black Sasuke heard Byakuya speak one last time. "What I tell ya? Wouldn't make a difference."

* * *

 _7:30 A.M._

 _Round 1 Match #7_

* * *

 **Seeing Sasuke** get taken out like, and so easily as well, was very surprising. Naruko though that Sasuke would put up more of a fight, and to some extent he did, but Byakuya…he was better in every way. He was faster, more skilled in Taijutsu and his durability was insane. The only other person that Naruko knew capable of tanking Sasuke or Sayoko's grand fireball that wasn't a jonin was her twin.

Naruko felt tempted to go and visit Sasuke in the infirmary but she knew that he would be fine. The blow that Byakuya dealt wasn't nearly powerful enough to severely injure him. So she stayed put and watched as more and more fights went on.

"Hey." I turned to Naruto.

"What's up?"

"I have a feeling that someone we know is going to be next." Naruko raised an eyebrow at this. "I know, I know. I just can't shake this feeling. This hunch of mine. I could be wrong, so don't worry too much about this."

As the next fight ended and the loser got dragged off on a stretcher, everyone held their breath as the giant screen lit up once more and began to shuffle through names. It began to slow down and Naruko felt her heart beat go up a bit. And then the names stopped.

 **SEIJU KAWASAKI**

 **VS**

 **NARUKO NAMIKAZE**

Naruko felt her heart sink. _Damnit._ She turned to her brother. "Don't. Say. Anything. Alright? Not even a good luck. Because I won't need it." _Yeah, I definitely don't need any luck with the teammate of the girl that mopped the floor with my teammate! But who knows! She might not be as good as Byakuya. On the other hand, and a definitely more terrifying though, she might stronger. Either way, I'll have my work cut out for me here._

Seiju shot an apologetic look towards Naruko as she made her way down to the center. She had thrown her whitish blue jacket off to the side and had two weapon pouches strapped to both thighs. Her hair was also tied back into a ponytail.

"Good luck." Seiju called out, her feet shifted apart as she got into a stance. "But I won't go easy on you."

A grin eased its way onto Naruko's face. "Don't worry. Neither am I. Holding back isn't what I do." The headsman had his hands in his pockets and his back was slouched over, he looked at the two of them lazily.

"Are you two ready?"

Both girls nodded.

"May the 7th match begin!"

For a moment the two of them stood there waiting for the other to make their move. Naruko reached into her pouch and quickly flung a couple of shuriken at Seiju who weaved through them as she dashed towards Naruko. Moving to the side, Naruko kept her distance from her opponent. Seiju, curled her lip in annoyance.

Just as they turned a corner, Naruko stopped on a dime and launched herself forward into a spinning kick. Seiju raised her arms and blocked it. Flipping off of Seiju's leg, Naruko dropped down low into a sweep. Seiju flipped backwards and kicked her leg high into the air and brought it down into an axe kick, shattering the ground beneath it.

Naruko jumped away and flung another kunai at Seiju who deflected the kunai to the side and rushed forward. The two of them engaged in high speed hand to hand combat all over the arena, with neither girl making any progress. They matched each other, blow for blow, fist for fist and kunai for shuriken.

Thrusting her kunai down, Naruko raised her hand and knocked the shuriken out of Seiju's hands. The other girl lowered her head and lunged forward with the full intent off smashing her own head into Naruko's. The Namikaze twisted her body and brought her knee up into Seiju's gut hard. Gasping audibly, the redhead lurched backwards.

"Sorry about that." Naruko wasted no time and swung a haymaker into Seiju's cheek. Before the other girl could react, Naruko followed up with a quick kick to the gut. Seiju whispered something under her breath and a sudden shock coursed through Naruko's body. "GAH!"

Seiju took a couple steps back, clutching her side and breathing slowly, bolts of electricity still arcing around her body. Breathing Heavily, Naruko got to her knees and jerked her head to the side, flipping her hair over to the side. Both girls stared at each other before lunging at the other.

 _What is she doing? Why is…_ Drawing her arm back into a punch, Naruko ducked underneath Seiju's elbow which was completely unnecessary as Seiju's elbow completely missed. With Seiju's body twisted to the side, Naruko drove her fist into Seiju's side, throwing the girl into the wall. _I can end this now!_ Naruko's jumped forward, clapping her hands together and swinging them into Seiju's stomach and then thrusting her right elbow up into Seiju's jaw. Grabbing the back of the redheaded girl's cranium, Naruko drove Seiju's face into her knee.

Naruko let her opponent fall to the ground with a thud, unconscious. _I won._ Even on the ground, without consciousness, Seiju's face was still beautiful, no blemishes or bruises in sight. _I won_. It was then that Naruko realized just how hard she had been breathing and just how intensely her body was shaking.

"And the winner of this fight is…Naruko Namikaze of Konoha!" Takahashi the Headsman called out. Her teammates cheering loudly. Though it was nothing but ringing in her ears. "Hey. Get off the arena floor. The next match is starting." Naruko slowly looked over to Takahashi Tanaka, his piercing green eyes boring holes through her body. A shiver its way through her body. Naruko took a look at Seiju being carted off on a stretcher before jumping up to the stands.

Naruto shot her an approving look, as did Kakashi-sensei. Sayoko wrapped her arms around her best friend. "I knew you could do it!" She whispered excitedly into Naruko's ear. "It seemed like it was going to be a draw you know. But I knew you'd win."

 _I'm not so sure about that_. _I was only faster._ "Not really. It should've been a draw really. I was just fast enough to land my blow before she could. The match really could've gone either way." Naruko muttered, prying Sayoko's arms off of her.

Sakurai simply kissed her. God, the taste of his lips were a welcome sensation compared to what had just happened earlier. "Your breathe smells like strawberries." Naruko giggled quietly as the next pair of fighters went down to fight. "Were you eating while I was fighting? Were you not worried about your girlfriend?" Naruko pouted playfully.

"Well, it was close, but somehow I knew you'd win the fight. Though it was closer than I thought it would be. But, you won." Sakurai said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling Naruko into a one armed hug.

"Yeah. I did."

 _And hopefully my stroke of luck will continue._

* * *

 _8:40 A.M._

 _Round 2 Match # 8_

* * *

 **Naruto awaited** for the preliminaries to be over _._ Most of the fights didn't even last a minute. Though admittedly, the same could be said for real combat. But still, Naruto expected the fights to be grander than this! And it wasn't like people were getting knocked out with one hit either. And while Naruto didn't favour long drawn out fights, as that usually involved one of the combatants constantly running, and while that was a valid tactic, it was boring to watch. More specifically Kizuna and Sendou Yuki's fight.

 _Earlier…_

 _Sendou Yuki stood across from her opponent, the blonde from Suna, Naruto couldn't recall her name. The blonde seemed to think that this would be an easy fight He knew better._

 _Takahashi Tanaka sighed. "Let the 9th match of the first round commence!"_

 _The girl from Suna…Temako? Tema-Tema…Temari. There it was. Yeah, Temari swung her fan in a wild arc, sending a large gust of wind. Sendou Yuki leapt high into the air gracefully. Very gracefully. She landed softly and spun around another barrage of wind. The girl from Suna roared and began to fire blade after blade of wind. Sendou Yuki dodged all of them. Weaving through them as if they were nothing._

 _Soon, she closed in on Temari. Growing desperate, Temari closed up her fan and swung the fan itself at her opponent. Sendou Yuki flipped over the other girl, twisted in midair and struck Temari n the back of the head._

All of this, in less than half a minute. But Kizuna's fight, if it could be called that was even shorter.

 _Earlier…_

 _For once in the whole preliminaries, Takahashi seemed to be paying close attention. Naruto assumed it was because Kizuna was up. His opponent was Rock Lee. While Naruto didn't know Gai's student that well, he knew that Rock Lee was as force to be reckoned with in close quarters. But, it didn't seem that Kizuna was taking this seriously. The prodigal son of Kumo stood across from his green wearing opponent, hands in his pockets, looking bored out of his mind._

 _With a firm, yet still lackadaisical voice, the Headsman spoke. "May the 16_ _th_ _match of the First Round begin!"_

" _YOSH!" Lee immediately rocketed forward into a kick. Kizuna titled his head, and let the "Green Beast" of Konoha fly past. As Lee landed, Kizuna was already in his face. Yet Kizuna still seemed to be standing in place, not moving from his spot, so how come there were two of them? Most others assumed that it was a clone, but Naruto knew better. The way the ground on which Kizuna was standing had sudden markings on them, the way that his body seemed a little bit transparent. All of it screamed afterimage._

" _Too easy."_

 _Quicker than anyone, save for the Jonin and other higher-ups and Naruto to see, Kizuna thrust his lightning quick fist at Rock Lee's solar plexus. A loud crack could be heard as Lee collapsed almost instantly. Sparks of electricity flying around him._

 _Naruto narrowed his eyes. When did Kizuna activate his technique? He had been watching his rival the whole time and yet he did not see whether or not Kizuna used handseals or not. The thought of it was a little worrying, as it would pose some trouble at the tournament._

All of that lasted less than 10 seconds. It was, at the same time, the most boring and the most intriguing fight of the preliminaries.

Speaking of boring fights, Naruto curled his lip up, his eyes twitching as Sakurai easily avoided Ino's pathetic attempts at hitting him. _Just get on with it. End her misery and humiliation now Sakurai._ He then promptly slapped both his cheeks. A couple of odd stares were thrown towards him, but they were ignored. _What are you thinking Naruto? Both of them are your friends…okay, good friend and friend, but friends still! You should be supportive of both of them!_ With a sigh, Naruto shot murderous glare at the smirking Kizuna on the opposite side of the arena.

Both his and Naruto's fights in the first round lasted less than 30 seconds combined for the both of them. How did any of these fools ever make it this far? Unless the exams were weaker this year, or Naruto and his team along with Kizuna and his were just so far ahead in terms of skill that it just felt that way? Yeah, that seemed more plausible.

It was a good thing that this was the last fight of the preliminaries. And only two people remained. Sayoko stood to his left, anxiously waiting for Sakurai to finish. On the other side of the room was her opponent. Ayase Araraki. She leaned against the railing, trying to keep her eyelids open as Sakurai intended to drag the fight out just a little bit more. _Why isn't the proctor stepping in? This fight is clearly over._

It seemed that the Raikage was thinking the same thing as he stared at the Headsman sitting atop the giant statue with a book in his hands. With a sigh, Takahashi Tanaka leapt off of the statue, separated Ino from Sakurai and lifted one of Sakurai's arms up, all in the blink of an eye.

"And the oh so obvious winner of this match is Sakurai Haruno of Konoha. God, kid did you have fucking drag this out?" The last part was whispered to Sakurai, but it might as well have been screamed out with the way the words echoed throughout the arena. "Alright whatever. This is the last match of the day. After it is finished the 8 finalists, Naruto and Naruko Namikaze, Sakurai Haruno, Sendou Yuki, Koji Totsuka, Byakuya Takeda, Kizuna Totsuhara and whoever wins this match will move then have their match ups chosen for the real tournament a month from now."

And with that, both Sayoko and Ayase dropped down. Sayoko looked up at him and Naruto mouthed _good luck_. She would need it. Naruto hadn't seen much if any of Ayase's fighting style from her 30 second fight against Kiba. However there was one thing that Naruto did know, and that was that Ayase Araraki was fast. Almost as fast as he. Though Naruto really doubted that Ayase had used her full speed.

"Sayoko! Don't be nervous! You can do this!" Naruko cheered, her hands interlinked as she placed them over her mouth.

"Yeah! Go Sayo!" Sakurai called out as well. Both of them looked expectantly at him and Naruto just shrugged. "Come on dude. I know you're bored and all, but this is the last fight. It'll all be over soon. Just one cheer?"

"Yeah bro, most of the time you cheer everyone on. What's going on with you?"

Again Naruto shrugged. "Fine I guess so." He then leaned over the railing. "Kick her ass Sayoko! You can do this!" Even without seeing her face, Naruto knew that Sayoko's cheeks flushed pink. Ayase must've noticed this as she grinned and said something to the Uchiha. Sayoko let out a loud growl. Reading her lips, Naruto determined that Ayase had said something along the lines of:

"Is that your boyfriend over there? He's cute." And then Naruto face palmed.

"And now, let the final match of the preliminaries commence!" Takahashi bellowed out before whispering something under his breath. If Naruto's lip reading could be trusted, which it could, then the Headsman had whispered, "Finally."

Ayase wasted no time and quickly went through a set of handseals, all the while jumping back and dodging Sayoko's kunai and shuriken. She then clapped her hands and a jagged wall of stalagmites erupted from the ground. "Earth Release: Jaws of Earth!"

"Whoa." Naruko whispered. "Right off the bat eh?"

"Indeed. Maybe she wants this tournament over just as bad as everyone else." Kakashi spoke up. His book tucked away somewhere.

Naruto paid them no attention. Sayoko had managed to get right up into Ayase's face and was exchanging blows with the sister of the Worldbreaker. A powerful uppercut from Ayase sent the Uchiha girl flying backwards. Luckily though Sayoko managed to recover quickly, jumping right back into the fray. "She should stay back a little, take a moment to plan something out." Naruto mumbled under his breath.

It was clear that Sayoko had no plan, other than to hit Ayase more than Ayase hit her. A plan, that while okay, and one that Naruto himself used more often than not, was a bad one for her opponent. While Ayase didn't seem to be as good at hand to hand combat, she had a lot of 'get off of me' techniques. "Earth Release: Arches of Hell!" Sprouting up from the ground where two parallel sets of curved spikes which met at a point in the air. Their spikes however continued on from the meeting place. Sayoko, who was in midair, landed on the curved, smooth section of the arches, her hands quickly going through a set of seals.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Missile!" Sayoko inhaled deeply and exhaled a wide plume of flame. Ayase crouched down just finishing her own technique.

"Earth Release: Mud dome!" As it suggested, a dome of earth formed around Ayase just in time to shield her from the stream of fire ready to burn her to a crisp.

"I have to say, this is the most Ninjutsu heavy fight all day. It's rather entertaining actually." Naruto said, leaning forward onto the railing. "Though I wonder how long Sayoko can keep up a Ninjutsu fight."

As the dome collapsed, Ayase rocketed out of there at breakneck speed, landing a kick onto Sayoko's shoulder in midair. The girl from Iwa was now on the other side of the arena, hands already at work as they blurred. "Earth Release: Gaia's teeth!" Several large holes appeared in the ground around Ayase. She then clapped her hands and several giant earthen spears flew through the air, spit out from the ground by the holes that Ayase had previously made.

Sayoko dashed towards Ayase, jumping, sliding and twisting her body around to dodge the incoming projectiles. Though in her charge, she failed to notice the seals on two of the incoming projectiles. "Smart. Attached fire seals on the spears using some sort of technique. I don't know what those seals do, but I don't think they're good." Naruto told Sakurai and his sister. Nodding, Naruko continued to look on, a worried look in her eyes.

When Sayoko neared the seals, Ayase grinned and formed the tiger seal. "Fire Release: Napalm Bath!"

"Huh?" Two giant blobs of napalm erupted from the seals. Though they moved too slowly for them to actually have any effect, as Sayoko leapt up into the air. The grin on Ayase's face grew instead of disappearing. Though Naruto noted that it was rather strained and forced. _Why?_

"Lightning Release: Thunderous Spear!"

Sayoko never knew what hit her. The spear of lightning tore through Sayoko's leg and pinned her to a protruding earthen wall behind her.

"And for my grand finale! Dust Release: Atomic Annihilation!"

"Sayoko!" Before anyone could react, Naruko leapt down to the arena floor. _Fool_. _She was expecting this_. Ayase's grin, if it was possible grew even wider as she stood up and let the ball of light in her hands disappear. _Now Sayoko's disqualified. Not that she would've had a chance afterwards anyways._ But he didn't care. Naruto wasn't certain if Ayase really would've killed Sayoko with her last technique, and he didn't want to find out.

Takahashi eyed Ayase with the same kind of look that Naruto had seen Arashi do a lot. In particular to Kenji or Natsumi, before sighing. "And the winner of the match is Ayase Araraki of Iwagakure"

Naruko growled, glaring at Ayase as she cradled Sayoko in her arms. "You'll pay for this bitch." Ayase spread her arms, as if beckoning Naruko. "Oh I will. Just you wait. I'll kick your ass so bad you won't be able to sit down for the rest of your life!"

"Let's see if you can back it up then."

The Headsman coughed. "Enough. Seeing as how two of the 8 finalists are already here, why don't the rest of the finalists come down? We'll be beginning the selection process." Sakurai nodded at Naruto as he jumped down and immediately help Naruko bring Sayoko over to the medics. Naruto followed shortly after. He stood beside his two teammates as the others dropped down. The one known as Koji leaning against the wall next to Ayase. Byakuya and Kizuna were nearby, probably just to annoy him. Sendou Yuki stood by herself near the Headsman.

"Alright listen up!" He called out as several attendants wheeled out two carts with a boxes on them and a giant white board. "This is how it's gonna go. You will pick through those boxes one by one and take a ball. It should have a number from 1 to 8. If you're number 1, you'll be up against 8. 2 will be up against 7. 3-6, and 4 against 5. The winner of 1 versus 8 will face the winner of 4 against 5 and the winner of 2-7 will face the winner of 3 against 6. Are we clear?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Now line up. Two lines."

Naruto didn't even try to pick a specific ball and just picked the first one he touched. _Number 7 eh? Lucky number. Great…_ He showed one of the attendants the ball and the attendant then wrote his name on the bracket. He stepped back and watched as the white board was slowly filled out. Naruko made her way next to him "What number did you get?" He asked her.

"I got 1. I hope that bitch gets 8 so I can smash her face in." Naruko growled. "What about you Sakurai?"

Their pink-haired teammate cracked his knuckles and began to stretch. "Got 6."

Everyone turned their attention once more to the Headsman as he clapped his hands loudly. "We are done. Match number 1 will be Naruko Namikaze and Sendou Yuki." Naruko deflated at that. "Match two will be Kizuna Totsuhara-'" Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at his redheaded rival. "…And Naruto Namikaze. Match 3 will be Koji Totsuka and Sakurai Haruno. And the final match is Ayase Araraki and Byakuya Takeda. You are dismissed"

 _You won't be getting your grudge match Naruko, but it seems that I will._

Kizuna passed by Naruto. "Good luck Naruto-san. I would've hoped that we would meet in the finals, but this is fine enough. Again, good luck. You'll need it."

 _I don't need luck. Not beat you._

* * *

 _Thunderous Bolt Hotel, Kumogakure_

 _10:15 A.M_

* * *

 **She was tired**. Oh so very tired. Ayase knew she that she shouldn't have tried to use her bloodline in close quarters. And well, the entire ordeal of the preliminaries were entirely way too long. But, at least it didn't take as long as it could've, given how many teams had made it to the preliminaries. Though the boring fights didn't make it any better.

Ayase finished washing up and flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. _Did I really have to go that far? I mean, the fight was already over really._ Though the way that Namikaze girl was glaring at her, you'd think that Sayoko Uchiha was her girlfriend.

"Hello there dear sister." Ayase jumped at the sound of Izaya's voice right next to her ear. She scrambled off her bed and nearly hit her head on the frame on the adjacent bed. Izaya smiled at her as he swung his foot around her bed. "That was a long and tedious affair was it not? And boy what a way to end."

"Where were you?"

"Oh, nowhere. But I can tell you right now, you take after me more than think Aya. The way you baited that blonde fool into disqualifying her friend? That was clever. Very clever. And ruthless too, the way you did it. You know, if you weren't my sister, I'd have though that you were about to the Uchiha girl."

"I did what I had to win."

Izaya chuckled and shook his head. "Did you? Did you really? If Naruko Namikaze didn't step in, would you have gone through and killed your opponent?"

"I…No. I wouldn't have. The match was already over by then, but I knew that my attack wasn't enough to deter Sayoko Uchiha from trying to free herself, so I decided to end it then. But I did what I had to!"

"Oh, little sister, no one cares what you did. In fact, what you did was pretty tame in comparison to things that have been done in the past. And what's about to be done soon." Ayase repressed the urge to shudder at the smile on Izaya's face. It was something that she dreaded. Because for once, it wasn't a fake smile. And that was never a good thing.

"What are you planning Izaya?"

"What? I'm not planning anything. Well, that's a lie. Nothing too big. But, you shouldn't worry about. Well, now that's an even bigger lie. You know what? Don't think about it. You'll know what I've done when you see it. Now I must go. I promised the lady next door that I'd take her to a nightclub. Buh-bye!"

As Izaya sauntered off, Ayase couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. A genuine smile from the man called the Worldbreaker could only mean trouble.

* * *

 **(All Alone with You-Egoist)**

 **Sorry for the long wait!**


	18. Pretty Girls are his Weakness

**(Melt-Hatsune-Miku)**

* * *

 _Land of Water coastline_

 _3:00 A.M_

* * *

 **The forest** was quiet. The birds were silent, the squirrels and various other animals scurried about as unit Alpha of Kiri's AOI moved along the shade of the forest. Alpha-1 stuck close to the tree's and above him, in the trees themselves was Alpha-3. Far off to their right was Alpha-2 and 4 and to their rear was Alpha-5, 6 and 7. Off in distance was their objective. The abandoned Fortress of the first Mizukage. The forces of Kiri holed up within during the last years of the first war and left it behind in the fear fueled retreat back to Kirigakure. And now…it sat here.

It had long since been reclaimed by nature and was more often than not avoided at all costs due to the dangerous wildlife that inhabited within it. The first Mizukage had built it with the intention of keeping out Kumo and all other threats. He built the fortress with walls thick enough to stop bolts of lightning and giant plumes of fire and with walls so high that they even went over the clouds. But it was because of its huge sprawling complex that made it so hard to defend. There was too much space to cover for Kiri's rather small defense force.

And now, there was a possibility that Kumogakure had holed up within, if reports from scouts and spies within the city of lightning.

As they neared the premises, Alpha-1 raised her hand. Everyone stopped at once. Alpha-1 moved a hand to her earpiece. "Alright, squad 2, get to the rooftops, squad 3 remain outside on the premises, warn us if there are any unknown chakra signatures. Squad 1 on me." Alpha-4 and 3 began to move into the thick foliage of the front lawn of the fortress. Whilst Alpha 5, 6 and 7 began to dig in around the forest. "Let's go Alpha-2."

Her partner nodded and the two of them began to make the journey to the other side of the fortress which was sunk underneath the waves of the Misty Sea. But it was the best way to get into the sprawling mega structure without having to climb the gigantic wall, which would've taken far, far too long. And blowing up the walls was no option. Not if they wanted to remain silent.

"It's beautiful don't you think?" Alpha-2 whispered quietly as they dashed through the overgrown forest. Alpha-1 had to agree with him. Despite the worn and ruined appearance, it was one of the wonders of the world. It was built by the First Mizukage before the village of Kirigakure was even made. The fortress was old. "It's a shame what happened to it."

Alpha-1 stayed silent. The entrance to the fortress, was, as expected, blocked by several huge pieces of stone, with most of the entrance itself underwater. Nodding at each other, the two AOI operatives, reached into their weapon pouches and pulled out a small cylinder like device and attached it to their helmets. "This is squad 1, diving into location, over."

It was murky, which was to be expected and very, very dirty. Much more than Alpha-1 actually expected. Then again, no one had cleaned out the place or even set foot in the fortress in nearly a century. But not nearly this much. Almost like something was in the water…Alpha-1 halted their advance and began to tap the wall in Morse code. ' _Something's in the water. Poison? Food? Be careful.'_ Alpha-2 nodded.

A good chunk of the fortress was submerged into the Misty Sea. More so than the reports had suggested and it was rather hard to navigate the winding and overgrown passage ways. More often than not did they run into a dead end and they often had to switch out their gas tanks quite a lot. However, it didn't take long for them to find their way out of the submerged section of the fortress.

Coming out of the submerged hallways, squad 1 was met with a giant a fallen statue of the First Mizukage blocking their way. There seemed to be no other way to around the obstacle except for sticking to the roof, but that meant using chakra and that meant that a chakra sensor would be able to detect you. "It seems we have no choice." Alpha-2 whispered. His commanding officer nodded.

On the other side of the statue was the Great Hall. Unlike the rest of the castle, the Great Hall was largely untouched aside from the bloodstained walls and floors and the occasional vandalized statue and painting. But aside from that? It was untouched.

Alpha-1 raised a hand to her earpiece. "This is Alpha-1, Great Hall is clear. Great Hall is clear. Moving on to the armoury. Over and out."

"This is Alpha-4, the docks are clear. Moving on to the warehouses, over."

"Roger that Alpha-4, hallway to armoury is blocked, I'll leave it you guys. Squad 1 is heading over to the Treasury instead. Squad 3, how are things on your end?" Alpha-1 ran her hand along the fallen pillar in their way. Stacked on top of the pillar were giant blocks of stone. "Squad 3?"

Then the sound of Alpha-5 came on the coms, his breathing heavy, with sound of heavy fighting in the background. "This is Alpha-5, we are being pursued by, something. Can't get a good look at whoever is attacking us, but there are a lot of them and they are in pursuit, I repeat in pursuit. Alpha-6 also some of them heading into the Fortress, so watch out for that. Ah shit! Alpha-5 out!"

Alpha-1 and 2 looked at each other. A collective _shit_ running through their minds.

The wall to behind them promptly exploded, sending the two Kiri AOI operatives flying into the fallen pillar. Standing before them was a man clad in a black, thigh-length coat, surrounded by an army of black suited men and women with glowing red eyes and baring their abnormally sharp teeth at the two operatives.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. A couple of rats in my castle. Now, I suppose you rats, need to be a taught a lesson." The man in the black coat called out, flipping his hair over to the side as his eyes swirled to life. A black 4 pointed star in the center of a red iris. "And you know what I do to rats?"

Alpha-1 got up on one knee. Those eyes. There was no mistaking who this was. Kirei Uchiha. The greatest traitor in the history of the shinobi world.

"I kill them."

* * *

 _Diamond Thunder Park,_ _Kumogakure_

 _7:35 A.M_

* * *

 **"Why are** we here again?" Kisara asked as she sat up on the bench. Arashi looked at her, one of his eyebrows raised. "What? Curious. I know Naruto asked for your help and all, but what do we have to do with this? It's not like we," She said gesturing to Yukihara sleeping behind the façade of reading a book. "Are going to be able to actually help Naruto. I mean, the only Ninjutsu we know how to do are our own bloodlines. How are we gonna teach your brother that?"

"You aren't. The thing is, Naruto could learn a lot from you." Arashi chuckled at the confused face that she was surely making right now.

"Oh really? Explain."

"The way Naruto fights, makes him rather vulnerable from a distance. He doesn't have that many jutsu he can use from range because he specializes in close-quarters Ninjutsu. You two, are both perfect examples of long ranged jutsu. Yukihara with her ice and you with your crystals. Plus he might learn a thing or two about fighting dirty."

Kisara huffed. "What are you inferring? That we fight without honor? That, Arashi, is insulting. But true. Very true. But are you sure that you really need us to help Naruto learn how to combat long ranged Ninjutsu? I mean, why can't you? You're more than qualified. Right?"

The Golden God of Konoha shook his head. "Not really. I'm more of a…Close quarter combat type of guy. I can help Naruto fight against long ranged jutsu, but it'd be much easier to actually have someone who's capable of long range, be there and provide an example, as opposed to just telling Naruto what to do. He's that type of guy."

"Surely you could've have found somebody better. Someone with a more diverse toolbox. And also, is that all you're going to be teaching Naruto? Against that dude from Kumo?"

"Yes. There isn't much I can actually teach my brother. Our styles of fighting are far, far too different, yet very similar at the same time. I can't teach him any of my seals because he hasn't trained in them and I can't teach Genjutsu, aside from basic ones that won't be of any help and my Ninjutsu is severely limited. I'm not the master of everything, like some would like to claim. Really, I shouldn't even be the one training with Naruto. It should be Himiko. Or Kenji. Because their style is closer to Naruto's than mine."

"Well, can't you at least teach Naruto the basics to sealing? It seems to me that he's a rather quick learner." Yukihara speaks up, stretching her arms. She puts the book down and crosses her legs.

"I've thought about it. But it would take Naruto months to get to a level in sealing where he'd actually be able to do some damage. Even with his shadow clones." Arashi looks past the two of them, gazing over the entrance to the park. Diamond Thunder Park was absurdly beautiful. The parks in Konoha had a natural beauty about them. Most of the ones that Kisara had seen in Kumo were super modern in design. Sleek and metallic, with a lot of technological features. The most prominent being a giant, abstract slab of steel, with sections cut out, lines etched into the surface and inserted into the center was a giant glowing, crystal of some sort. "It's beautiful here don't you think?"

Kisara had to agree. Then again, any other place was better than her shit hole of home. All the "parks" in Kemuri city were nothing but cesspools of filth where the mobs and the gangs would come to meet up. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Please. Anywhere would be better than Kemuri city. This place is like heaven. It's so clean here and the people are…tolerable. But that's better than the fucking scumbags that roam the streets of Kemuri at night. Compared to that place, this is heaven." Yukihara spat out, folding her arms.

"I've only ever been to Kemuri a few times. I suppose what you say is true." Arashi said, leaning against a tree. "Though, I do suppose that it has its own…kind of beauty I guess. It's been around for a long time and for it to still be around is rather amazing." The sound of his knuckles cracking filled the air as Arashi clenched his fists. "I see my brother is here now. Let's go."

Naruto was waiting for them at one of the smaller fountains on the other side of the park. He wore a black, tight fitting training shirt and black track pants. "What are you two doing here?"

"To help you? Duh." Kisara replied, a wolfish smirk forming on her face. "You need all the help you can get. I mean, what the fuck are you wearing? Did you get those pants from some dude behind a dumpster or something?"

"What? No! I got it for sale at some value store on the way here. Got a great discount for it. I bet you're just jealous." He replied as they made their way out the city. Kisara burst out into laughter.

"Jealous? Of that? Please. I'd be more jealous of a trash bag than that shit."

Arashi sighed. "Quiet, please. Getting out of the city at such a time is rather difficult, so please, be quiet." He then turned back to the guard. "Sorry about that. Yeah, there are 4 members in our party. 2 of us are shinobi. One of which is participating in the Finals next month." Kisara couldn't hear what the guard said. "Alright. Thank you good sir. Have a good day."

Yukihara and Kisara shared a look.

"What was that about?"

"Didn't you hear?" Naruto said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Apparently there was an attack on a Kumogakure fort called the Black Fortress on the coast line and soon afterwards, the remains of a couple of Kirigakure trading vessels were found nearby. Not exactly good considering how close to war the 5 nations are now."

"I've heard of that. But, I don't really think that anything is going to be happening any time soon. It's not like this is the first time that tensions have been this thick. We've survived those times before and I think we will this time too." Yukihara jerked her head, flipping her silver hair off to the side.

"It's not as simple as you think." Arashi rolled his shoulders as they began to jump from tree to tree. "That was more than a Kumogakure fort. It was a prison for the worst criminals that there are in the land are second only to the Sky Cells in inescapabilty. That attack not only released dangerous, S-rank criminals such as the fourth generation Silver and Gold Brothers and the crazy bastard who wiped out the Village Hidden in the springs. And that trade vessel was found to be smuggling not only the illegal drug known Bluerose, but maps of the Black Prison. Something that can only be found in the Kumogakure mountain range. This is different from those other times. All evidence points to Kiri being the aggressor here."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Naruto challenged. "Kiri has nothing to gain from starting a war. Especially not after a civil war that very nearly caused the destruction of not just the village, but all of the land of water. If Kiri is the cause of this, then I'd imagine that it's someone inside the village who wants a war and not actually the Mizukage."

"I'd wager that you're right. If I didn't think that neither part was responsible for either attack. In fact, I don't think that any of the major villages are." At everyone's confused face, Arashi continued. "As you've said, Kiri has nothing to gain from this. Neither does Kumo. Both have just recently come out of civil wars and only Kumo seems to be prepared for a fight, only because their own shinobi force is chock full of veterans from the civil war. It can't be Suna because right now, they have nothing to gain from this but the anger and hatred of two of Great Nations. And especially with the way things are in Suna right now. Drought and the temperature increasing by nearly 5 degrees on average. Less and less missions going their way. Crime rate going up. Frankly, a war would completely destroy the Village hidden in the sands. And Iwa has nothing to gain from it either. They want to have Kumo as an ally. Not an enemy. And while Kosuke Totsuka would love to start a war, he would never do it this way. It'd be a full frontal assault as opposed to a clandestine assault on a prison and a drug smuggling operation." Far off in the distance, Kisara could see a massive field of snow and ice.

"What do you think it is then?" Kisara asked.

"A third party. Hidden in the shadows. There a ton of them. Remnants of the Akatsuki organization, Orochimaru maybe, the Cult of Jashin, or the Cult of the Snake God. I don't know. I had a talk with Kimiko and we both agreed that there's a good chance that Kirei Uchiha is involved with this mess. It has Kirei Uchiha written all over it." Kisara had heard stories of the one they called the False One. And none good.

"What are we going to do if a war does break out?" Naruto asked. "Only Iwa is really ready for a war. I feel like they've been ready for such a long time that this war would actually benefit them." Arashi shook his head.

"War isn't good for anyone Naruto. Remember that. Our civilization was built on war, but in the end, it has gotten us nowhere except to a time where war is at every corner. Everyone thought that when Kirei Uchiha defeated Kaguya Otsutsuki, that peace would finally come. But in the end, peace is only a fickle dream that many claim they are for, but do the opposite to achieve their goal."

Naruto lowered his head so that only his mouth was visible. He sighed before looking Arashi in the eyes, fire in his eyes. "Peace isn't something that's achievable. True peace is an illusion. Just like permanence. Everything we build will turn to dust in the end. But as long I…No, as long we are alive. There will be peace. As long as I live. There will be peace. I guarantee that."

Kisara didn't know why, but she felt _something_ at those words. She just couldn't place what they were. It was a feeling similar to whenever she and Yuki would reminisce about their missing older brother. Was it…No…It couldn't be. Kisara looked away from the two brothers as they began to spar, her cheeks heating up.

 _I can't be in love you. I can't._

* * *

 _Konoha Stadium, Central District, Konoha_

 _8:35 A.M_

* * *

 **Having the** concert start in the morning as opposed to late at night, was not what Saori had planned to happen. But now that's what was going to happen. She stood up in the top booth of the stadium, fiddling with her ear piece and tapping her foot restlessly as she waited for the timer to hit zero. With a sigh and with the timer at 10 seconds, Saori turned the ear piece on.

"Hit the smoke."

Plumes of smoke burst from the center of the stadium in a circular pattern. "Start raising the platform." Saori walked over to the wall of camera screens manned by Menma and his assistants. "Switch to Camera number 4." _5 seconds._

This was by no stretch of the imagination, the first concert she was in charge of. But this was the first one, in a village as gigantic and important as Konoha. Sure, Edo was large and all, but the Twins already had a reputation there. This was the next big step for them to take. And one that Menma had pushing for her to make. "Set off the flames and switch to camera 2." Under the cover of the flames and the smoke, the giant platform rose above the ground. Standing in the center, alone by herself was Lin. Dressed in a black sailor outfit with a giant black bow on her head. "And we are go."

Lin took a deep breath and began to sing as the smoke cleared. " _A purple butterfly on my right shoulder."_ She began to sway her arms and legs to and fro, eyes closed. " _In the corner of the room where we kissed…I learn how it feels to be heart broken."_

"Send Ren up." Saori ordered as bit her lip nervously. _God, don't mess this up guys. Come on! I believe in you!_ A hole appeared directly behind of Lin as the piano finished reverberating. "Dissonance…" Saori muttered. Whilst Ren and Lin belted it out.

Ren started. " _A purple butterfly on my right shoulder in a corner of the room where we kissed_ _  
I learn how it feels to be broken-hearted_ _._ _.."_ He sang as he walked the walkway, giving high-fives to fans on the side of the walkway. He then locked eyes with Lin. " _Dissonance!"_

"Switch to camera 1."

He did a 180 and strutted his way back to the center of the stage and let Lin do her part. " _Hurry up and wake me, having a nightmare!"_ Lin took a deep breath as she climbed the steps and began to mingle in with the crowd. " _Every beginning is a trivial thing, right? If you asked me what was good about it, I wouldn't know how to answer because I'm lost somewhere, deluded by the night!"_

"Turn on strobe light 1 and 3. Turn on the butterfly projection in 10."

Both of Ren and Lin's voices melded into one as they sang the pre-chorus. " _Long eyelashes, crescent moon eyeliner on my eyelids, shiny lip gloss."_ The twins locked arms as they circled around one another before launching off into the opposite direction and facing the crowd as they began to sing the chorus.

"Now. Switch to Camera 5."

" _A purple butterfly on my right shoulder in a corner of the_ _room where we kissed."_ Lin blew a kiss and the crowd began to cheer even louder. " _I learn how it feels to be heart broken."_ Again the piano reverberated. " _Dissonance!"_

Saori stopped paying attention as Menma called her over." Switch to camera 2. What's the problem Menma?" Her brother pointed to one of the security camera's inside the stadiums. Walking the lone hallways was a man in a dark tattered cloak with a snake emblem on the back. "No…"

"Natsumi is already on her way to deal with the- The hell." Menma leaned in as the cloaked man stopped in front of one of the main entrances wherein all the camera's in that section went black. "Oh shit."

"What's going on?! What is going on?!" Menma turned to her.

"We're under attack."

And then things went black.

* * *

 _Black Thunder Training ground, Kumogakure_

 _6:11 P.M._

* * *

"Oof!" Naruko groaned as Himiko again knocked her against a nearby tree. "You could have hit me a little less hard you know sis." Himiko shook her head and helped Naruko up. "Argh. That hurt like a bitch."

"That's nothing. Stop complaining Naruko. How else are you going to expect to beat this Ayase Araraki if you can't even take a light hit to the torso? I know that close quarter combat isn't your forte but if you want to get good, you have to learn to fight in ways you aren't exactly used to. Now get up."

However Naruko simply sat up and leaned against the tree she was knocked against. "Come on Naruko. I can't help you if you don't take this seriously. Now come on. I really want you to succeed Naruko. Naruko?"

"I've been thinking lately. Back in the prelims, when Sayoko and Ayase were fighting. It seemed to me at the time that Sayoko was going to die. That was the whole reason I even jumped in to save her. I thought the whole time that that's what Ayase was intending to do. But now that I think about it, like…really think about it. It doesn't seem as simple. Throughout most of the fight, Ayase had this…this grin on her face that just made me so mad because it was like she was taking pleasure in what she was doing to Sayoko. But now that I look back on it, it doesn't seem that way." Naruko stood up. "I challenged Ayase because I wanted to avenge Sayoko. Because I wanted to put that bitch Ayase in her place."

"But?"

"I feel like I'm doing this for myself. And not for Sayoko. Sayoko can handle herself. She can handle herself. It's just bad luck that she went up against Ayase."

"What are you going to do now?"

Naruko cracked her knuckles as she smirked. "Going to do what we do best. Kick fucking ass." She then crossed her arms and blocked Himiko's drop kick. "Show me no mercy sis! Because I won't!"

Himiko smiled to herself. Naruko had always been defined by hey loyalty to her friends. Always willing to step in and risk her life for their own. To the point where it was actually hurtful. Himiko had watched the prelims. She had seen what had happened and what happened to Sayoko was nowhere near as life threatening as Naruko made it out to be. Nowhere. Himiko had seen far, far worse injuries happen. She had seen people die, beheaded, limbs cut. What happened to Sayoko was bad yes. But it could have been far worse.

As the two of them fought, Himiko observed Naruko's fighting style. Naruko frequently fought with her dragon and fox summons. The Prelims weren't the place where she could use them as Himiko highly doubted that her opponents would have let Naruko summon a helper. Her sister would have a much better chance at summoning her companions in the tournament than in the prelims. Honestly, Arashi would have been a much better choice to be her mentor than Himiko. She just wasn't as versed in sealing as Arashi and he would have been able to teach her how to use the summoning jutsu quickly. There wasn't much that Himiko could really teach Naruko. Her younger sister wasn't really that specialized in Ninjutsu, so Himiko couldn't really teach Naruko much aside from how to mix her two elements of wind and fire together. "Okay, that's enough for now. I think I got a good read on your style of fighting."

"Shoot."

"You tend to try and keep your opponent at a distance and strike at certain intervals or whenever you see an opening. Usually whenever you have your summons you have your foxes come in and be annoying little shits and then swoop in your dragon to attack them. And sometimes you'll throw in a little Ninjutsu to throw them off. But really, anyone with decent observational skills and can analyze on the fly will be able to counter your style of attack. They will purposely leave themselves open and from what I gathered you would swoop in every time there was an opening. You can't do that. Sometimes you actually have to think and plan out your strategy. Something that shocked hasn't been drilled into your heads already. There isn't much I can teach you Naruko. It's at this level that you have to start figuring how to progress on your own."

Those were the very same words that Kirei-sensei had drilled into her own head. And even if he turned out to be a traitor, Himiko couldn't help but think how there really was some truth in what he said. But it was when she had gone out on her own that Himiko felt that she had improved the most. The people she had met and the things she had learned…Some of those things couldn't have been taught. They had to be experienced. "Now come on. It's getting dark. Let's go eat some dinner."

They met up with Arashi and Naruto and the Shiyo twins on the way to Kumogakure. There was something about the look on Arashi's face that made Himiko nervous. Arashi always had a serious look on his face, but this one in particular. She moved beside him. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I got a message from Father. There was an attack during Saori's concert. Blew up half of the stadium." Himiko felt her heart nearly stop as she let out an involuntary gasp. "Saori is fine and so are her Idol friends. Casualties weren't that severe though so that's good. But at the same time moral is going down whilst paranoia is going up. Consecutive attacks? It won't be long till there's another full-scale invasion. And when that happens we can't do what we did last time. Because then, we'll most likely be facing an actual, disciplined army." Arashi sighed. "Listen. I've been keeping an eye on Izaya," _The Worldbreaker? That can't be good._ "And he's up to something. I don't know what, but I can tell that it won't be good."

"And?"

"I'm going to confront him." _Now? "_ Yes now. If I don't, he's going to continue on with whatever he's planning. If I confront him, there's a chance that Izaya will delay his plans for another time. But the chances of that are low. I'll be needing your help/"xac

"Why do you need me with you? I've never even met Izaya. How am I supposed to help you? I've never met even met Izaya."

"Exactly. He knows how to hide his secret from me because he knows that I'll be able to meddle with his plans. You on the other hand? He won't know how to deal with. And perhaps you'll be able to figure something out that I couldn't. You've always been better at cold reading people."

"Arashi. There's a reason that Izaya is a Warlord. If he can keep a secret from you, what makes you so sure he can't keep one from me?"

Arashi smiled. "Because pretty girls have always been his weakness."

* * *

 _Silver Lining Buffet, Kumogakure_

 _7:45 P.M_

* * *

It was really nice to see that Ayase wasn't a weakling like Izaya had thought. He thought that she wouldn't have the guts and that she'd chicken out and find some other way to win. A more "honourable" way to win. Izaya sneered at that. There is no honourable way to fight. It's kill, or be killed. That's the way it is. Simple as that. If only Ayase could see where he was coming from. Izaya really hoped he wouldn't have to kill Ayase for if ever she got in his way. He wouldn't to kill another sibling.

 _They call this place a buffet? Ugh._ Izaya wrinkled his nose in disgust at the choice of food that was served. It was all processed and not even made by hand. But it was edible and at least the place was nice to look at. Silver lightning bolt patterns all over the walls with cloud shaped chandeliers and silver leather seats. Plus some of the waitresses were pretty hot as well.

Izaya smirked as one of the attendants walked by him and laughed quietly as her cheeks flushed pink. Then out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something interesting.

Walking into the buffet with his siblings and two other brats that Izaya didn't recognize, was that bastard the Golden Comet. Arashi. _Hmm…He's making his way towards me. And so is his…Woah…Is that his sister?_ Walking at an even pace right beside Arashi was a girl with long curly red hair and cerulean blue eyes. _That jacket looks really good on her too._ The smirk on his face turned into a wolfish grin as Arashi and his hot sister sat across from him. She glared at him as she shrugged her jacket off.

"Shouldn't you guys be getting your food first?" Arashi nodded at his sister, stood up and disappeared into the sea of people. His sister bore holes into his back as she crossed her legs. Izaya leaned forward. "Well hello there. What's your name? I suspect you already know, but…I'm Izaya. Or as you may know me better by, the Worldbreaker, or perhaps the Blue Landslide." She fixated her glare onto him. _Oh she is at least a 9 and a half._

"Himiko. I'm Himiko."

"Huh. A pretty name for a pretty girl. Fitting. You know, I think I know Arashi pretty well and I knew he had a lot of sisters. I didn't know that there was one as beautiful as you." She glared at him, but couldn't help the fact that her cheeks began to heat up. "A girl like you probably has a boyfriend right? Strong, dependable, handsome, and good in bed?"

"I…Uh…No. No."

"To which one? Having a boyfriend? If so, such a shame. Anyone would be lucky to have you." _Come on. Just a few more and I'll have you wrapped all around my fingers. Maybe in both ways._ Izaya couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing. Just laughing at how stupid people must be to not realize how beautiful you are and how much they're missing by not going out with you. It's just funny. You know, I could-'"

"You could what Izaya?" _Fuck you Arashi. Always there at the wrong fucking time._ Izaya felt his eye begin to twitch. "You can go and get your meal Himiko. I'll handle this." Himiko let out a sigh of relief. Arashi waited till Himiko was out of view before continuing. "Don't even think about it Izaya."

Izaya leaned back in his seat. "Think about what? I think about a lot of things. Girls, what I'm gonna do this weekend, how badly my sister is gonna kick that Kumo brat's ass. Your sister just happened to be one of them. I didn't even know you had such a beautiful sister. I'm hurt. Friends tell each other everything. I thought we were friends!"

"We are not friends. Not even close. So if you know what's good for you, you will stay away from my sister. Or else." Izaya laughed.

"What are you gonna do Arashi? Kill me? Sure, you could. But you'll be so weakened by our epic duel to the death that even a simple genin would be able to kill you. And besides. Killing me is the last thing that you would want to Arashi. Trust me."

"Fine. I'm going to get straight to the point. What are you planning?" Izaya tilted his head as he chewed on his food. "I know that you're planning something and whatever it is, I'm going to stop it."

"So you know. So what? It's not like you're going to be able to do anything about it because you don't know what my plan even is. You should know that I'm going to be telling you either. It's…Something you'll have to figure out. You're smart right Arashi? You like puzzles? Simple ones? Hard ones? Don't worry. You'll know what it is the moment you see it. And trust me. It'll be grand."

Arashi's eyes narrowed. "I don't what you're planning, but whatever it is, it can't be good. For as long as I've known you Izaya, nothing you've ever done has been for anyone but yourself. So why should it change now? You're playing a dangerous game Izaya. One misstep and it could lead to a world ending war."

"A world ending war?" Izaya said slowly before bursting out into laughter. "That's funny. You actually think that we aren't already at war? No. You know what? I won't tell you what my plan is. But I'll tell you how it's going to end and what I'm trying to gain. It's simple really. What I want is to formally start this war that should have started a long time ago."

"What you're planning isn't going to end well I hope you know that. This war is going to be different from the others. I can feel it."

"Different? It's a war. What's going to be different? The soldiers? Some. But for the most part they'll be different. And yes, I do know that this can't possibly end well. Which is why I'll try my best to make sure that it doesn't happen. Arashi. Listen. This war, is only the first step in my master plan. Only the first step in my 1000 Km. What I'm planning is more grandiose than anything you could have ever possibly dreamed of Arashi. When I'm done, nothing will be the same. Only in a good a way."

Izaya stood up and began to walk away. "And nothing will in my way. Not even you. The Golden God to my Black Reaper. Even you will to me. Even you."

* * *

 **(Wildfire-GUMI)**

 **The Chunin Exams should be over soon.**


	19. A girl must fight her battles

**(Shine Days-Girls Dead Monster-Angel Beats!)**

* * *

 _Skydome, Kumogakure, the Land of Lightning_

 _2:10 p.m._

* * *

The last month had been hell.

Naruko was used to waking up at 8 in the morning and going to sleep at around 11:30 after spending the day training or on her off days, hanging out with her family or going on dates with Sakurai. But training with Himiko meant waking up an hour before the sun even rose and going to sleep mere hours before the sunrise. At the end of every day it felt like her body was about to give out. Every day felt like hell.

Despite Himiko not being able to teach Naruko much of her technique's, she was still able to help Naruko polish her close quarter combat skills. Himiko had been able to help Naruko gain some form mental control and think before attacking. Though Naruko was sure that when she went up against Ayase all of that would go right out the window.

Himiko's hellish training wasn't the only reason that the last month had been hell. Saori just barely escaped from a bombing at her concert without a scratch. Her band wasn't so lucky. After hearing the news, Saori went into shock and became unresponsive until Lady Tsunade managed stabilize all of Saori's bandmates. Her idol friends Lin and Ren were fine however.

Besides her training, Naruko didn't really do much aside from that. She rarely had any off days, but when she did it was often spent back in the training fields with Sakurai and Sayoko. She didn't know what Naruto was doing, because there wasn't much that Arashi could really teach him, apart from the basic counters to Lightning users and advanced sealing techniques. But she did know that Naruto rarely came to the training fields and spent most of the month meditating or hanging out with Kisara and Yukihara. While she wouldn't say that Naruto wasn't taking this seriously, Naruko seriously doubted Naruto's motivation and spirit.

But even after a month of nonstop training, Naruko couldn't really say whether or not she could beat Sendou Yuki. The girl was a complete mystery and, according to gossip among all the genin, the purple haired girl from Kiri never even set foot outside her room once during the month. What she was doing in there, Naruko didn't know. But the girl was clearly one of the stronger people in the exam, if her preliminary performance was anything to go by.

According to Himiko, the girl was one of the last members of Kiri's legendary Yuki Clan. A clan of ice release users. That, Naruko could work around by going in close and forcing Sendou to use her fists. But even still, Sendou Yuki was fast. The way she dodged those gales of wind, it was the kind of reflexes that Naruko had only ever seen in Genin like her brother or Kizuna. Something that Naruko had no counters against.

Today, Naruko woke up a little bit later than usual. 9. The night before, Himiko had told her to go to sleep early-which she did-and to wake up a little bit later, so that she had more rest. And it was true, Naruko did feel more relaxed and rested than she had in a month. After she woke up, Naruko donned a black sleeveless hoodie and black tights. With help from Sayoko, she wrapped white tape around her calves and wrists.

"Are you ready Ruko?" The Uchiha girl's left leg was no longer in a cast, but Sayoko still limped noticeably. Her raven locks were held back into a side ponytail by a pink flower. "Good luck. We'll be cheering for ya in the stands. Just make sure to look for Kakashi-Sensei's silver hair. You can't miss us."

Naruko chuckled. "Of course. " The two of them left soon afterwards and met up with Sasuke and Sakurai halfway to the stadium. "Where's Naruto?" Sasuke shrugged and Naruko sighed. "Damnit. What are you doing bro?"

"Don't worry about him. Arashi should be with him right now. If there's anyone who can keep Naruto in line, it's him." It wasn't that she doubted Naruto at all. Naruko was just worried for her brother. Ever since the time that Kenji found him alone underneath the tree in their training ground, Naruto had been acting different. More aggressive and standoffish. More easily irritated and pissed off. Well, whatever it was, Naruko just hoped that he would get over it soon.

The Skydome was in the center of the city. Even though it was fairly early in the morning, the streets were already filled to the brim as spectators piled into the massive arena. And it was _big._ Smooth, sky blue walls reached up into the sky wherein it transitioned into a blue tinted glass dome. The interior was even more impressive. A huge arena floor with multiple levels and tiers and all sorts of environments rotating in and out. There were 4 tiers of bleachers up in the stands. And far up near the dome was the Skybox. There Naruko's father would be watching along with the Kage's of Kiri and Kumo.

"Huh? The Tsuchikage isn't going? Why?" Naruko recalled asking Himiko. Her sister shrugged.

"I don't know. Honestly, I don't really think that the Tsuchikage even cares for the exams. I'm sure Kosuke Totsuka would rather just start a straight up war than do this."

And looking up at the Skybox, Naruko could see her father. He must've seen her because he flashed his trademarked Namikaze grin. At that moment, Naruko couldn't have been anymore happy and nervous at the same time. _I can't let him down. I can't!_

All of the participants, excluding Naruto and Kizuna were in a room underneath the arena floor. In front were two separate elevators that would take them up to the arena. _Well, they certainly have the presentation part of this thing down pat._ It was like they were trying to do what the old Akabane Empire did with their Gladiatorial games. Except without the intentional killing. Or the slavery.

As she looked around, Naruko noted how most of the people there were pretty lax in comparison to herself. Byakuya sat off by himself looking at a TV screen with a drink in hand. Sitting in her lonesome in the corner, with her eyes closed was Ayase, whilst her teammate Koji was reading a book. Standing by the elevator to the right was Sendou, her arms folded. Naruko's gaze met hers almost instantly. Both of them appraising and analyzing the other.

"I wish you the best of luck." Sendou muttered as Naruko moved past her, the whole time their eyes never left the other person.

Sakurai was already waiting for her by the other elevator. His pink hair was swept back, giving Naruko a clear view of his sparkling green eyes. Strapped to his leg was an extra-large weapons pouch and placed horizontally on his back was a wakizashi. His eyes lit up as soon as she began to walk towards him.

"Oh finally, you're here. I don't think I could've taken another minute of being alone with these guys." He grimaced. "Honestly, these guys are nothing like you and me. The only person I know who could sit in this room is Naruto. Speaking of which, where is he anyways?"

"Late. As usual. Probably going to come in with some shitty ass attempt at a dramatic entrance. When did you get here? I'm pretty sure I would've seen your hair through that ocean of people piling into the stadium outside."

"I think I was like the second one here. Ayase was here way before I was I think." Naruko reluctantly looked at the girl from Iwa. Ayase was staring directly at her. Just as Naruko made to move to the other girl, the large screens to the side lit up. The screens displayed the words, FIGHT 1 STARTING IN: 15 SECONDS

With a sigh, Naruko turned to Sakurai. "Well, I guess it's time eh? I'll see ya after the fight." He nodded and stood back against the wall, his eyes firmly fixed to the screen in front. Taking a deep breath, Naruko stepped into the elevator.

Twirling around in the elevator, Naruko came face to face with Sendou. The other girl was looking through the glass that separated the two of them, an analytical look in her eyes. Naruko clenched her fists as the ceiling above retracted and light poured in.

Soon, Naruko was standing several meters across from Sendou with a roaring crowd behind them. Looking around, Naruko instantly spotted Kakashi's silver hair amongst the crowd. Sitting beside him were Sayoko and Sasuke along with Kisara and Yukihara. Behind them were Arashi and Himiko. _That's weird. I thought Arashi would be with father…_

Standing not too far away, looking as bored as ever was the Headsman. He eyed the two of them like they were ants. Though his eyes did narrow a tiny bit as they went over Sendou. _Wah…There's so many people!_ Naruko shook her head. There was no point in getting nervous now. Getting nervous would only impede her ability to fight. It seemed that Sendou wasn't suffering from the same problems. In fact, there seemed to be nothing but absolute focus and concentration on her mind.

Sighing loudly, Takahashi turned to the Skybox. "Let the first fight of the Kumogakure Chunin Exams Tournament begin!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he disappeared in a blur and reappeared standing by balcony at the south side of the Skydome.

Sendou rolled her neck around and stretched her arms. She twisted her head, dodging the quick kunai Naruko threw at her. "Hm…How rude." Her purple hair flew in the air as she spun through the air towards Naruko like a corkscrew. "Don't you know that it's rude to interrupt other people?" Naruko rolled to the side, avoiding Sendou's attack.

Naruko took several steps to the side, her arms raised in defense. All the while, her gaze never left Sendou. The girl from Kiri cracked her knuckles and a tiny smile appeared on her face. As Naruko continued to step to the side in a circle, Sendou kept moving forward. _Anytime now…_ Suddenly Sendou disappeared in a blur.

"Gah!" Naruko cried out as Sendou reappeared, kicking her in the side. The Namikaze girl parried the spinning kick and counterattacked with a quick palm strike to the chest. "Fuck." Naruko jumped back, avoiding an axe kick that splintered the ground.

"Stop moving will you? It'll only delay the inevitable."

"Heh." Naruko laughed. "That's kinda the point." She ducked under another kick and rolled forward. As she rolled forward, Naruko reached into her weapons pouch and drew a kunai. Just as she was about to swing it, Sendou kicked the weapon away.

"Get up and fight me."

"Nah, I don't think so." Naruko rolled back and picked up the kunai. "I think I'll keep this up. For now at least." _Not until I have enough information to go off of._ Sendou looked annoyed. Again, she disappeared in a blur. Naruko's eyes darted all over the place, looking for just a tiny glimpse of Sendou's purple-white hair. _There!_

She was barely able to block the first kick. The rest of the combo broke through her defense. Naruko stumbled back, dodging and parrying several punches and kicks thrown her way. The other girl growled and lunged forward, digging her fist into Naruko's stomach. Naruko went flying. Righting herself up in the air, Naruko looked up in time to see several ice spikes fly through the air. _Fuck!_ Naruko twisted in the air. She shivered as one of the icicles grazed her skin.

Sendou was already upon her the moment she landed. Purple hair filled her field of view as Sendou landed two quick jabs to the gut. Naruko sucked in a breath of air and kicked Sendou away. Or at least she tried to. Sendou caught her foot and grappled her to the ground. _Fuck! Fuck! What the hell am I supposed to do now? Alright, calm down. Calm down. What would Himiko do in this situation?_ Well she would probably use her Hiraishin to get away. And Naruko didn't really trust her own space-time Ninjutsu abilities. _No, what would I do?_

With some effort, Naruko broke free from Sendou's grasp and rolled away, kicking the other girl in the collarbone at the same time. Finally getting some space, Naruko bit her thumb, drawing blood. As she flipped in the air, Naruko's hands went through the handseals for the summoning jutsu.

Naruko quickly slammed her hands against the ground, smearing it with her blood. "Summoning Jutsu!" Naruko could see Sendou rocket across the arena floor. Just as she burst through the smoke that came with the summoning, Sendou was knocked back.

Standing at the center of smoke field as it began to disperse, was a large pink dragon. "Momoryu? Ah…Thank you. I think you just save me right there." The dragon bowed, or at least did its best to.

" _It's no problem Naruko-sama. It is an honour to serve you."_

"Right. Now let's go." Naruko leapt atop Momoryu's back as the dragon began to float into the air. Down below, Sendou picked herself up from the ground and gazed up at the two of them flying in the sky. In the background Naruko could hear the murmur of the crowd grow louder than before.

"Well now…That's just not fair is it?" Sendou called out. Ice began to form on the ground underneath her in a circular pattern. With a simple tiger seal, the ice sprouted up and Sendou began to rise into the air like she was on an elevator. "Why don't we level the playing field a little bit?"

Momoryu swept right in towards Sendou. The purple haired girl warded the dragon off with a barrage of ice. Naruko's hands blurred through a set of seals and as Momoryu flew in close, she unleashed it. " _Fire Release: Phoenix Flamethrower!"_

A huge plume of flames erupted from Naruko's mouth and towards Sendou who leapt to another ice pillar dodging the fire. Sendou then jumped from that pillar and lunged at Naruko and tackled her in mid-air. Whilst the two of them were in the air, Momoryu flew in and knocked Sendou off of her summoner.

"Hmm…" Sendou muttered as she twisted in midair, and a walkway of ice erupted from the wall, upon which Sendou landed softly. She then jerked her head to the side as a white hot kunai flew by and imbedded itself into the wall behind her. Sendou took a step forward, and the ice underneath her followed, creating a pathway. " _Ice Release: Wings of Frost."_

 _The fuck?_ Naruko felt her eyes widen as the air around Sendou's back fogged and froze up into the shape of a wing. _There's no way she can fly on that can she? There's no-_ The blonde girl yelped as several icicles launched from the wings towards her. Momoryu's wings folded up and blocked the oncoming ice.

" _Ice Release: Frost Hell."_

A sudden breeze flew by. Within seconds, the breeze turned into howling, icy winds. Naruko saw Momoryu's wings slowly freezing over. "Momoryu! Fly down! Your wings are freezing over!" The pink dragon nodded and began to descend. Sendou followed, her ice leaving behind a trail reminiscent of the spiral staircase in the Hokage Residence.

" _Ice release: Black Tundra."_

Naruko looked down at the ground to see a small spot of black quickly growing until it encompassed at least a quarter of the arena. _I wonder…_ Naruko reached into her weapons pouch and threw a couple of kunai at the ground. She watched with little surprise as they froze and shattered on impact. _Thank kami for dragons!_ "Ne, Momoryu, follow my lead. I got a plan. I'm going to jump over to that walkway. If it shatters, don't worry. When Sendou enters let's hit her with a fire-wind jutsu combo!"

Then without any warning, Naruko leapt from her position atop Momoryu and lunged forward. The ice underneath her feet shattered instantly. But it wouldn't matter. " _Wind Release Soft Gale!_ " She was blown off the side where her feet struck an ice pillar. Naruko jumped and twisted in the air, dodging Sendou smashing into the pillar. "Now Momo!"

She flipped in midair, over Momoryu and grabbing the dragon by her tail. Momoryu's maw opened and giant plume of fire spewed out. " _Fire Release: Great Flamethrower!"_ Sendou was covered within the fire and smoke. _That's not all._ Naruko's moved up to Momoryu's back.

" _Wind Release: Titan's Breath!"_ She took a huge breath and was prepared to make the fire even stronger. Then Sendou rocketed out of the smoke and tackled Naruko off of Momoryu, through a pillar of ice and imbedded her into the wall. Naruko momentarily blacked out.

Her eyes shot open as a sharp pain appeared in her stomach. It was kind of like the burning sensation caused by ice when it's held too long. Naruko's eyes saw black as she slammed into the black ice ground face first. The ice cracked as Sendou landed next to her. Quickly rolling to the side, Naruko shot up and raised her hands. Naruko grimaced as her entire body shook at the force at which Sendou swung her arm.

"It's surprising to see that a weakling such as you have made it this far. But no matter, you shall fall here." Sendou said, ducking underneath a double handed hammer fist and striking Naruko in the stomach. _Gah!_ Naruko brought her hand down on Sendou's leg stopping it from kicking her in the side. In response, Sendou kicked Naruko with her other leg. With both legs in the air, the girl from Kiri hooked both legs around Naruko's waist and using her weight, brought both of them down onto the ground.

Naruko blindly swung her elbow back behind her. She missed and felt the wind get knocked out of her as Sendou stomped on her back several times. The Namikaze scion attempted to stand up, but was kicked in the side, sending Naruko onto her back. Naruko lifted her shoulder and rolled away, narrowly dodging a spike of ice. "Fuck you." Backing away, Naruko quickly drew a kunai with an extended edge. She then began to channel her chakra through it.

Sendou slowly began to make her way towards Naruko. Taking a deep breath, Naruko collected herself and tried to think of what to do next. Clearly she was outmatched in Ninjutsu. Sendou's mastery over her Ice Release was far greater than Haku's had been. But perhaps Naruko would be able to beat Sendou through hand to hand combat. She may be better at fighting whilst in the air, but there was nothing like fighting on even ground. Or as even as cracked ice could be. Sendou was close now. Naruko began to back away. Her back hit the arena wall

"What?" Naruko said, looking behind her. _The wall was this close?_

"Pay attention!" Arashi shouted from the stands. Naruko turned her head and met Sendou's fist with her forearm. Her muscle rippled from the force of the blow and Naruko winced. Sendou drew her fist back. Naruko ducked underneath the punch. She then swung the kunai. It turned to ice upon contact with Sendou's skin. It shattered soon after.

Amidst the ice, Sendou's fist smashed into Naruko's jaw. Before Naruko could react any further, Sendou began to unleash punch after punch, and kick after kick and strike after strike. _How could this have gone so wrong?_ Naruko stumbled back, the tape on her hands stained with blood and frozen cold. Her ribs felt like crap and she was starting to feel the cold. Still though, Naruko could give up. It just wasn't the Namikaze way to give up.

Standing before her, Sendou's hands blurred through a set of handseals as she slowly walked forward. Naruko raised her hands in a stance. "Stop wasting your energy." Sendou's was suddenly right beside her. Naruko attempted to move, but found her legs unable to even budge. She looked down. Her legs were frozen. The frost was slowly moving up her leg.

Shivers racked her body as a cold chill passed through the air. "Submit to me. Yield." Sendou commanded. Naruko snarled at. Ice continued to crawl up her legs and stopped at her waist.

"Never. It's not my way." A large sheet of ice protruded from the nearby wall and made contact with Naruko's arms, slowly freezing them over. "It'll take a lot more than-ugh-freezing my limbs over to beat me!"

Sendou cocked her head. "Hm. Your advanced healing factor allows you come back from a lot of things. But, I don't think regenerating entire limbs is one of them." Naruko's eyes widened as Sendou summoned an ice sword. She couldn't her arms or her entire lower body. "Submit to me now. Or continue to fruitlessly fight and destroy any chance you have at every being a shinobi again. What will it be? I do hope it is former. Potential like yours…gone to waste because of your stubbornness. Give. Up."

Naruko tried to summon chakra through her legs. Nothing. She couldn't give up. This wouldn't end this way. She wouldn't let it. She was Naruko Namikaze. In time, she would become more than just the Yellow Flash's daughter. And a little ice would not stop her. If normal chakra wouldn't work… _Kurama. I know I told you that I wouldn't rely on your power, but now is when I need it the most._

 _ **Kid, my power? It's been yours and yours alone for a long time now. Why'd it take so long? Heh. Kick her ass.**_

 _Will do._ Red chakra flared and instantly melted the ice. Sendou's eyes widened a fraction and swung her ice sword through the air, turning the air around it into ice. The sword shattered upon contact with Naruko's arm. The Kiri girl ducked underneath Naruko's swing. Sendou quickly kicked the jinchuriki in the gut. Naruko disappeared.

Reappearing several meters away, the surrounding ice began to melt. Naruko's reddish gold aura glowed brightly within the arena. Sendou stood to the side, amusement apparent in her eyes. She then began to laugh.

With a growl Naruko dashed over in the blink of an eye and lifted Sendou up against the arena wall. Sendou's laughter echoed throughout the silent arena. "What's so funny?" She continued to laugh, not even remotely feeling Naruko's grip on her throat tighten. "Answer me!" Naruko smashed Sendou into the wall, cracking the 15 meter thick concrete.

"It seems, that I was right. Such incredible potential." Sendou put a hand on Naruko's arm. It instantly froze. "Show me your power." Naruko punched Sendou in the face. The girl from Kiri shattered. _A clone!_

 _ **Behind you!**_

"Shit _!"_

" _Ice Release: The Land of Never-ending Cold_." If it was even possible, it became even colder. It began to snow. A howling wind came roaring through, turning the walls and the giant floor to ceiling windows that gave the public view to ice at first contact. Giant spires of ice and crystal rose up from the black, glossy and icy floor. "Welcome to my domain. I do hope that you enjoy your stay." With each word, the wind and snow grew stronger and stronger. Soon enough, the two of them standing in the middle of a blizzard.

 _Just who the hell is this girl? There's no way that a genin should be this powerful!_

 _ **The Yuki Clan have been known to produce incredible Shinobi in the past. Though it was said that they could never fully master their bloodline limit.**_ If Kurama was implying what she thought he was, then Sendou Yuki was at least a Jonin level shinobi. If not even stronger. _**Born S-rank. That's what we should call prodigies.**_

Naruko shook her head. This wasn't the time. It was time to fight. She could see Sendou's shadow darting between the ice pillars and hiding within the harsh snow. Growling, Naruko's aura began to grow brighter and brighter. "Fuck. Off. With. This. BULLSHIT!" With a roar, Naruko blew away the snow, the wind and toppled several nearby pillars.

Sendou shot out of the snow and kicked Naruko in the chest. The Namikaze scion noted that Sendou had coated her leg in the same crystalline black ice that surrounded the floor. In fact, both arms and legs were covered in the ice.

 _ **What's next? An ice shield? Ice armor?**_

Before she could even tell the Chakra Beast in her gut to shut up, Sendou was already upon her. Ice instantly began to melt. But there were multiple layers of the ice. And it was regenerating. Fast. Naruko formed a Rasengan in on hand. She ducked. _Let's see that ice regrow from this!_ She thrust the spiralling ball of concentrated chakra at Sendou's torso.

Light sparked and almost instantly the ball froze and shattered. "What!?" Sendou's fist smashed into Naruko's skull. "Gah!" Naruko felt herself spit out blood at Sendou kicked her in the gut and then followed up with a kick to the head. Raising her hand up, Naruko deflected a quick jab. She backed up.

" _Ice Release: Blizzard of Blades!"_ Icicles formed in the air. Several hundred of them. Naruko looked at Sendou wide eyed. _What the fuck! How much chakra does she have!?_ Naruko dashed through the torrent of frozen blades and threw a quick punch at Sendou. The ice girl ducked. The pillar behind shattered into a million pieces.

Naruko quickly turned around. She blocked a punch. Sendou kicked her in the stomach. Shards of ice imbedded themselves in her leg. Naruko threw a punch at Sendou. The other girl sidestepped the attack and leapt away from Naruko's whipping tails. " _Fire Release: Dragon's breath!"_ Sendou quickly ran through a set of seals and summoned a wall of ice. The plume of flame spread out over the sides.

Seeing that she had a chance to attack, Naruko leapt over the wall, the fire covering her approach. She landed behind Sendou. The other girl kicked behind her without looking. The wall shattered and Sendou rolled forward. Naruko's counterattack completely missing. " _Ice Release: Demonic Mirrors of Hell."_

A giant dome of ice formed around the two of them. Naruko's eyes widened. _This. Again._ The dome was larger, yes and the mirrors were almost black and were twice as wide, but this was still the same scenario that she and Sayoko had been in. How long ago was it that they fought Haku? Almost a year now. Sendou stood up, rolling her necks and cracking her knuckles individually. " _Ice Release: Black Blizzard."_

Once again, the wind began to blow and snow began to fall. Except this time, it was even more intense. Naruko could barely see. And what she did see was almost all black. Black snow. Black mirrors. And the black floor. "Hm…It seems that we are running out of time. While I do wish that we dance a smidge longer, I'm afraid that time is up."

"Shut up." Naruko expanded her aura, melting the snow. However the mirrors stayed unchanged. Sendou remained standing in the center of the room. And then a pillar of ice shot up from the ground, smashing Naruko in the face. Before she could recover, several more pillars of ice shot out from the ground and locked Naruko in place. Bright white icy chains came from the mirrors and began to wrap themselves around her. "Heh. Think this will hold me? Yeah right!"

"Hm. I should it would. Only two people have ever broken the chains. Shigure-sensei and Yagura-sama. And I do not think that you are anywhere near their level."

The chains stayed put. Her jinchuriki aura couldn't even slightly melt the outermost layer of the ice. No matter how hard Naruko attempted to move.

"This match is over. You're not moving from that." Takahashi Tanaka was suddenly beside her. He put his hand against the ice and shattered it instantly. Naruko could see Sendou's eyes widen. "I hereby declare Sendou Yuki the winner of the first match of round one. There will be a three minute intermission for the next match between Naruto Namikaze and Kizuna Totsuhara." The Headsman's voice was loud. Overpowering the unsatisfied chatter of the crowd.

As her aura died down, a small circle appeared underneath her feet and brought her down to the waiting room below.

Standing several meters away was Naruto.

It was then that Naruko collapsed into her brother and her boyfriend's arms. Her skin was slightly red. Her knuckles were bloody and legs were red from being frozen over and over again. Uncontrollable shivers racked her body as the cold was still affecting her. She looked to Naruto.

"Good freaking luck bro."

Sakurai quickly wrapped a blanket around her and wrapped his arms around her body. Instantly his body heat began to spread over to her own. His hands glowed as he used his healing technique to fix up her injuries. On the other hand, Sendou looked spotless. Her clothes looked only a touch singed and her skin was flawless. Not a bruise or a scar in sight.

Naruto stood up. He was wearing a black and red shirt with the Uzumaki and Namikaze sigils on the shoulders. Red, fingerless gauntlets covered his arms and he wore black pants. His forehead protector was nowhere to be seen. Naruko could see the Leaf emblem on his back. He glared at Sendou who paid him no attention as she made her way to get a drink. Naruko put a hand on Naruto's arm. "Don't. Focus on _your_ fight. Yours is the one that everyone is waiting for."

"Yeah, I know." Her brother muttered. He and Kizuna were having a stare down. Kizuna's lips curled into a smirk. The Kumo boy wore a simple white shirt and black pants with white gloves with armoured plates. "I've been waiting for this."

"I know." As the timer ticked down, Naruto stood up and began to make his way to the elevators. Kizuna remained standing at his position. Sitting with his legs cross and back against the wall was Byakuya.

"Man, this gonna be good." He said rubbing his hands together. Kizuna and Naruto entered the elevators.

Naruko couldn't help but feel excited as well.

* * *

 _Skydome, Kumogakure_

 _2:25 P.M._

* * *

There was only one word to describe what he was feeling right now. And it was excited. For an entire month he had been waiting this moment. And without doubt so was Kizuna. Naruto clenched his fists tighter. The ceiling opened up and light streamed into the elevator. He remembered what Arashi had told him right before they went to the Skydome.

" _You've got to show no mercy. You've got to be relentless. Don't give him any time to fight back. Always be on the offensive. If you do all of this, you will win. Understand?"_

His training with Arashi mostly revolved around mentally strengthening himself and learning proper tactics and strategy as opposed to the bumrush that Naruto was known for. The process involved a ton of meditating, playing a ton of Shogi and planning out mock battles with Go pieces. For an entire week Arashi had Naruto read a bunch of strategy guides and books. Most of which were written by the Nara. Though Naruto did see one written by their own father and one by Menma.

On the off days that the two brothers did go and train, Arashi went all out. He would wake Naruto up at 3 in the morning and let him sleep at midnight after an intense workout. In all honesty, Naruto had felt stronger and more confident than ever before. He just was sure if that was a good or bad thing.

" _Oof! Damnit. I can never seem to hit you." Naruto said to Arashi as the latter helped him up. "You're way too goddamn fast for anyone to hit. Let alone, lil' ole Genin me. Why can't you just teach me Fuinjutsu instead? At least I'll be learning something useful then."_

" _The problem with that is that even with your clones, it would take at least two months for you to reach a level where you would actually be able to do anything in combat with what you've learned. And as I've said before. I may be the fastest, but only by a hair. Takahashi Tanaka is the only other person I know that can keep up with me at full speed. But anyways, the point of this exercise is to get you used to fighting someone who is faster than you. And as you've already pointed out, there is no one faster than me. So once you've learned to counter my speed, then you know how to counter Kizuna's speed. Now get on up and try again. I'll still be going at 30%. And then I'll move on up to 45%. That should be as fast as Kizuna can go. And I can assure you, speed isn't everything." Arashi chided him._

 _Naruto groaned. "Fine."_

 _It didn't take long for Naruto to once again be facing the grey sky of Kumo. His body was sore all over and there was a rip in his shirt. Still, he managed to land one hit on Arashi. That was enough for him to say, "Hey, maybe I can do this." To himself. Arashi thought much of the same. Still though, Naruto was a little shocked that he even manage to see Arashi, let alone react fast enough to hit him._

 _Several moments ago, Naruto could barely even see Arashi move at 20% speed. And now he could actually somewhat comprehend Arashi's lightning quick movements. "Okay," Arashi began. "Just a few more. I want to see if you can land a single hit on me consistently." Naruto paled as Arashi's aura flared._

 _Arashi disappeared. Naruto couldn't see him at all. But he could hear Arashi's footsteps and the sound of the wind rustling wherever Arashi came by. And Naruto did notice that no matter how fast Arashi went, he would always have a shadow. Without thinking much, Naruto swung his fist to the right. For a moment Arashi reappeared. A surprised look on his face. Though it only lasted for the quickest of moments. Naruto still missed though and Arashi took the chance to land a hard kick to Naruto's stomach._

 _Naruto quickly responded with a spinning backfist. Arashi ducked. However, Naruto could see that his shadow was still for just that tiny split second and kicked Arashi in the leg. Arashi struck back with a quick palm strike to the chest that knocked the air out of Naruto's lungs. Before he could even recuperate, Arashi had already followed up with an elbow in the same spot._

" _Fucking Damnit! I was so close."_

 _Arashi chuckled. "Come on. Get up. You managed to hit me. Let me guess, you were watching my shadow? That's good. Earlier you were just swinging wildly, trying to predict where I'd go. Still though, you did a good job. Not many would've been able to react to my speed, let alone actually land a hit. Now get up. We still have some more work to do."_

 _As the day ended, Naruto and Arashi were headed back to their apartments._

" _Hey, Arashi, is it possible for someone to randomly just get a bloodline?"_

" _What kind of question is that?" Arashi shook his head. "Obviously not. It comes from blood. And unless you have a specific clan or person's blood then it would be impossible to have that bloodline. Though there was a story that mom told me once. It was of one of Kurama's previous jinchuriki. The guy claimed that Kurama used his powers as a demon to modify his body from the inside. Which is complete bullshit. It just isn't possible. Kurama isn't a demon. He's a chakra beast. The most he can do is modify your chakra and how acidic it is. Aside from that, Kurama literally can't modify your very blood and DNA so that you can have Wood Release. Otherwise other Jinchuriki would've have already done it by now. And even_ _ **if**_ _he could. He can't. Because he's sealed inside your body. It just isn't possible."_

 _Naruto scratched the back of his head. Of course it wasn't possible. But there was that lingering feeling in the back of his mind. That day when he collapsed in front of the tree in the training ground. Those words. Demigod. He just couldn't forget it. Naruto just knew that those words, they meant something. But what? Every night, he dreamed of that moment. And he couldn't stop thinking about it. He just couldn't. And it irked him._

" _Okay then…um is there anything you know about Demigods Arashi?" His brother's eyes narrowed a touch. It was a subtle enough gesture that most people, even high level Shinobi wouldn't have caught wind of it. But Naruto did._

" _Demigods? Well, they're the children of gods. Which you already know. But most historians agree that if the gods really did mingle with us mere mortals, then the last of the demigods would've died at least during the Era of lady Kaguya. Hell, Kaguya herself may have been the demigod in question. Scholars and historians and theorists also all agree that the children of gods were born with immense power. Powers that could change the very course of the world around them." The more Arashi spoke the more Naruto became terrified of the idea. "It's said that the next time that someone of Godly descent is born, then the end of the world as we know will soon follow."_

" _I-is that so?" Naruto couldn't help but stutter._

" _Yeah. Apparently our Uzumaki ancestors even have a whole freaking prophecy around the idea. I forgot how it goes though. Something about a great darkness and never-ending death." He noticed Naruto getting slightly uncomfortable. "Hey, don't worry about it. If their prophecy is true, which it isn't, it'll probably happen a long time from now." If only he knew._

Naruto was taken out of his reverie by the sound of the crowd. He shook his arms and legs and began to stretch. Standing across from him was Kizuna. An excited look on Kizuna's smug face. Naruto knew that there was a look of excitement on his face as well. He knew that much.

Takahashi Tanaka spoke.

"May the second fight of the Kumogakure Chunin Exams Tournament begin!"

* * *

 **Ninelie (Aimer Ft. Chelly from Egoist)**

* * *

 **The next chapter will be the last chapter for the Chunin Exams Arc. That much I can say for sure.**

 **As to why this chapter is a late, well…that's what happens when you have exams, tons of new anime with tons of free time, and more time to play video games as well.**

 **Remember to read and review guys!**


	20. Wind versus Lightning

**(Secret Base-Kimi Ga Kureta Mono- Anohana ED)**

* * *

 _Skydome, Kumogakure, Land of Lightning_

 _2:26 p.m._

* * *

It was the moment that everyone in the arena had been waiting for. That much Arashi knew. He could feel it in the air. The excitement, the impatient chit chat, the constant betting and trash talking. Arashi himself couldn't help but wonder in excitement as well. He had trained his brother to the best of his non-existent teaching abilities. But Arashi wondered if it would be enough to defeat Kumo's Golden Boy. Izaya himself had bet on Naruto to lose. But then again why did Arashi think that Izaya would do anything like bet on anyone but himself.

Speaking of the Worldbreaker, he was leaning against the railing in the part of the Skydome closest to the Skybox. Throughout the whole first match, Izaya wasn't even paying any attention. To the fight at hand. Instead, he had his eye on the summit of Mount Toru off in the distance. So far, Izaya had yet to make his move.

The final tournament of the Chunin exam was the perfect time to stage an attack. And what better diversion than setting off an active volcano just a couple of kilometers away? Whatever Izaya was planning, Arashi was more than ready for. If there was even the slightest hint of danger, Arashi would step in.

"May I have everyone's attention please!?" Takahashi Tanaka called out. Earlier, the arena floor was a mess. Frozen black walls, pillars of ice that were falling apart and a cracked, icy arena floor. Now it looked like the floor was brand new. Sparks of electricity arced around and all over the arena floor as Takahashi cleaned up the mess made by Arashi's sister and Sendou Yuki. "The second match of the Chunin Exams will begin shortly. Please return to your seats in an organized manner."

Arashi locked eyes with Takahashi. It was often said that there was no one in the Land of Lightning that was more terrifying than the man they called the Headsman. Takahashi Tanaka's piercing green eyes stared right back into Arashi's dull blue eyes. Neither of them moved on until the floor opened up and out came the two fighters.

As Takahashi stepped off to the side, Naruto began to stretch. Across from him, Kizuna rolled his neck and said something.

"Nice day we're having eh? There's so many people here waiting to see you get your ass kicked. It would be wrong of me to deny them of what they want."

Naruto remained silent and instead tightened the straps on his arm bracers. His arm muscles were looking far more defined than what they looked like a month ago. In the seat below Arashi, Kisara was fidgeting restlessly. Her hands were intertwined and her knee was rocking back and forth. Arashi smiled. He hoped his brother would pick up Kisara's feelings faster than he did Sayoko's. And certainly that his little brother would do a better job of dealing with them rather than hoping they go away.

Over the last month, Arashi realized something about his little brother. Naruto had the potential to become a force to be reckoned with, that much Arashi knew. What he didn't know was just how much potential his brother had. Arashi had never seen anyone with a reserve of chakra that big. Other than Kirei Uchiha that is. And that terrified and intrigued Arashi all at once. It terrified him because if his brother ever turned out to be anything like the Golden Uchiha…Even Arashi doubted that he would be able to beat Naruto. At the same time he was intrigued. His brother had asked several questions that were troubling. Was it possible for a Bijuu to give you a bloodline limit that you didn't have? Do demigods exist? What did Arashi know of a golden star?

Arashi thought back to several years ago, when Naruto was still in the academy.

His mother took him and Tsugumi to Uzushio, and Arashi came upon an old ruined shrine near Old Uzushio. It looked older than anything else around it and looked like to be from the age of Kaguya. Within Arashi found an old torn up journal from someone named Uzumaki Tendo. Well, it was more like a treasure map than a journal.

After several months of searching, Arashi eventually found another ruin. This one deep within an ancient forest in the Land of Fire. The forest had been there even before the time of the Senju. To confirm his suspicions, Arashi had Menma examine the journal. His brother had confirmed Uzumaki Tendo's journal was indeed from the age of Kaguya. In the ruined shrine, Arashi found another journal from Uzumaki Tendo as well as a letter from Uzumaki Kenma to Uzumaki Tendo.

The journal spoke of a tomb deep in the Serizawa Forest just to the south of the first Senju compound. It took several years for Arashi to actually even just find the damn thing and it took another year for him to clear out the surrounding ruins and locate the entrance into the tomb itself. The letter from Uzumaki Kenma spoke of how the tomb of the First Whirlpool King had been built and that the tablet had been lost.

Arashi had found what appeared to be the burial chamber. It was the most bare bones burial chamber that could possibly have ever existed. There was nothing in there but a coffin embedded into the wall. It was made of simple wood with elaborate carvings. But what Arashi saw on the coffin was a bit unnerving. From what he could gather, the coffin belonged to Uzumaki Aito. A figure lost in history. He had looked in nearly every library he could get into for information of Uzumaki Aito.

There was nothing.

Even the eldest surviving members of the Uzumaki clan knew nothing of an Uzumaki Aito. Not a single thing. So Arashi began to look for something else. The letter had mentioned that the tomb Uzumaki Aito's coffin was in was for the first Whirlpool king. And that, Arashi found a lead on. It was a title that the ruler of what were now known as the Land of Water, Waves and Whirlpools were called.

That was when Arashi had an epiphany. He went to the White Library in search of an old book that he had found in a secluded corner of the ancient wonder. And in it, was confirmation of his suspicions.

The man known as the First Whirlpool king was an Uzumaki. His name however was lost to time. With his suspicions confirmed, Arashi returned to the tomb with Himiko in tow. She had just returned from a year of being abroad training all around the continent when she had heard of Arashi's problem.

He needed someone who could read an ancient and dead language.

"Come on Arashi! Let me come with you. I promise I won't tell anyone else what we find. It's probably better that way."

And so Himiko stood before the wonderfully preserved coffin. She marvelled at the exquisite carvings and the intricate details put into them. The carvings Himiko concluded told a story. A haunting one.

As she finished reading, Arashi could see her shivering and jerk back. Arashi looked her in the eyes saw nothing but fear. "It's…It's a warning. A prophecy."

"What does it say Himiko?"

Himiko took a deep breath. "The first part tells of a…vastly different story about Princess Kaguya than we've been told. It says that the Princess was consorting with…demons and horrific monsters in exchange for keeping the Shinju asleep and something called the Nurarihyon at bay and that when Princess Kaguya turned her back on them, they awoke the Shinju. The Nurarihyon however…It doesn't exactly say what happened, but it's something along the lines of, _I will awake at the birth of the Chosen One. The one who shall bring upon the world Destruction of Unification._ Arashi don't you see? It's a prophecy."

"I see." Arashi bit his lip. This was troubling news. "What does the second part say?"

"It's the prophecy itself.

 _The sky shall bleed red and the earth will tear._

 _The rivers will flow crimson and the dead shall scream_

 _Those born of the Whirlpool's blood shall be wrought with pain and suffering_

 _Salvation shall be found in evil's lair._

 _He who is born to the divine and of the mortals shall see the dream_

 _The path to victory will be hard and troubling_

 _He who is born of Divine and of Humanity must seize victory."_

Himiko was trembling. She couldn't take her eyes off of the coffin. "Arashi…I…I'm going back up. I can't…I don't want to be here anymore." Arashi didn't even had time to respond as Himiko ran off.

"Yo. Why the fuck are you zoning off? The match is about to begin." Naruko's voice boomed in his ear. "Hello, earth to Arashi, hello? Well, looks like he's broken." Naruko told Himiko as she took a seat beside Sayoko.

Arashi leaned over to speak to his sister. "You did well. But, you lost concentration at the end there. If you had focused-'"

"Cut the bullshit Arashi." Naruko said to him. "I never had a chance of winning against Sendou Yuki did I?"

Her two older siblings shared a look. "No." Himiko admitted. "You didn't. I doubt anyone in this tournament could have. Even Naruto. Her moves, her speed, strength and the way she used her ice release. There was nothing you could have done."

"I wouldn't go that far." Arashi said. "Sendou Yuki is a level far above you as of now Naruko. But Naruto and Kizuna are on a whole other level than even Sendou Yuki. There's actually a name circulating around for these once in a generational prodigies. Born S-rank. Anyone with that title is a being that will be a force to be reckoned with. And this generation, it has the most of these born S-rank shinobi's since my own generation. Kizuna Totsuhara, Sendou Yuki, Ayase Araraki. And I wouldn't write you off Naruko."

"R-really?"

"There hasn't been a summoner for the Dragon clan in hundreds of years. There are hundreds of folk tales about the strength and the power that Dragon summoners hold. And Dragon Sages are the most powerful off all the sages." Naruko's face beamed.

"Be quiet." Sayoko hissed. "The fight is about to start."

Takahashi Tanaka disappeared from the arena floor and reappeared in the Skybox with a flash of lightning. Naruto and Kizuna stared each other down.

"Begin!"

* * *

 _Skydome, Kumogakure_

 _2:28 p.m._

* * *

This was not exactly how Naruto expected the fight to begin. He ducked under several lazy jabs and kicks and responded with his own attacks. A few kicks and punches to test the waters. None of them were even close in hitting Kizuna. Kumogakure's Golden Boy spun around and twisted and contorted his body in all sorts of ways as he dodged around all of Naruto's attacks,

"Come on. Do something that can get me excited. Something that'll get some sort of reaction from the crowd. Come on! Give me something to work with." Kizuna spread his arms out and walked sideways. All the while dodging and deflecting Naruto's strikes every so often.

The Golden Boy of Kumo's eyes lit up as he threw a quick right hander towards Naruto's way. It was a blur and Naruto barely had any time to react to it. He ducked underneath Kizuna's punch and took several steps to the side, avoiding a follow up. As soon as Naruto's back foot hit the ground, he pushed off of it and swung his elbow into Kizuna's chest. The other boy pushed it away with his offhand and struck Naruto in the chest with kick.

Before Naruto could stabilise himself, Kizuna unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches. Somehow, Naruto righted himself up and blocked the last few hits and warded Kizuna off with a few kicks his way. An annoyed look crossed Kizuna's face.

The sound of the air exploding roared in Naruto's ear as Kizuna's fist flew by, arcs of lightning swarming his hand. "Come on! Show me what you're made of!" Naruto's eyes drifted over to Kizuna's lightning covered hand. _What the hell? He did that so fast. I didn't even see him activate his jutsu. I'll have to keep an eye on that._ Kizuna stood with his hand outstretched. Without another word he rushed forward at Naruto.

Diving to the side, Naruto put a hand on the ground to balance himself. In the other hand he formed a small, spiralling ball of chakra. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw a streak of lightning behind Kizuna, dashing straight towards him, a maniacal grin on his face. Just as Kizuna reached him, Naruto swung his body and used his momentum to speed up his arm.

A brilliant light covered the arena as Kizuna's elbow impacted the mini Rasengan in Naruto's hand. Whilst everyone was blinded by the light, Naruto leapt backwards. No one else could see it, but Kizuna didn't even seem to be bothered by the light. He just looked annoyed as lightning discharged from his body.

"Oi! The fuck was that? You trying to blind me? Cheap fucking trick, but it won't work!" More lightning discharged from Kizuna's body as the light dissipated. _Damn. So blinding him won't work. I'm not fast enough to stop Kizuna from going for a killing blow and I'm not even sure if I have the stamina and durability to keep up with him._ Naruto slipped a hand into his kunai pouch. "What are you trying to do now?"

Naruto's kunai flew through the air and Kizuna caught it without much worry. The Namikaze scion charged forward. Kizuna began to channel his lightning chakra into the kunai. Before he could throw it back at Naruto though, the seal on the handle glowed and released a cloud of smoke, ink and gas. But not just any gas.

" _Fire Release: Flame Thrower!"_ It was just a simple E-rank jutsu, but it was more than good enough to do what Naruto wanted. Bursting through the flume of flame that engulfed, a streak of lightning burned the floor underneath Kizuna. The embers of the tips of his hair burned out quickly as he was quickly upon Naruto with a barrage of flying kicks. "I'm not done yet!" He quickly warded Kizuna off and whilst jumping backwards, his hands flew into a set of handseals.

"What?" The floor underneath Kizuna began to glow in a kanji pattern. Kizuna's eyes widened and he quickly began to move back. But it was too late. The entire section of the floor exploded in a fiery plume of fire and ash.

"I'm still not done." Naruto declared as he formed a complete Rasengan in both hands. He dashed forward. A black cloud of smoke began to spread throughout the arena floor, obscuring not only Naruto's vision but also that of the crowd's. Naruto's blue eyes darted from every single part of his vision and yet all he could see was smoke.

BOOM!

A bolt of lightning split the ground in front of him, dispersing the smoke at the same time. "Gah!" Naruto spat out as Kizuna's fist dug into his stomach. "Shit!" Kizuna's fist struck his gut several more times. As Kizuna lifted his leg to kick, Naruto ducked underneath and dashed away.

"Hey! Get back here! I'm not done with you." Kizuna called out, his voice dripping with venom. His hand crackled with lightning as he pivoted around and faced Naruto. Parts of his shirt were burned and a part of his neck was burned as well. "That was a clever trick you did there. That kunai…released sealing ink in a pattern of some sort. And that gas…methane? Hah. That's pretty neat."

"This is the part where I would thank you. So fuck you."

"Hah? What's with this attitude of yours?" A smirk formed on Kizuna's face. "You know, that's pretty rude. So it seems that I have to…" He disappeared in a discharge of lightning and reappeared above Naruto. "Take this seriously!" Naruto leapt backwards. Kizuna's lightning covered fist struck the ground and discharged a burst of electricity towards Naruto.

" _Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"_ A violent gust of wind split the arcs of electricity in half. _Shit. That wasn't that a body flicker or any type of space-time Ninjutsu._ Naruto spun and barely kicked Kizuna's own foot away as the Golden Boy of Kumo reappeared behind him. _That, is pure, unadulterated speed._ He then parried several more sloppily executed combos from Kizuna.

What the hell was this? Kizuna wasn't supposed to be this fast! Even Arashi said so! And he was the fastest guy he knew! As Kizuna reappeared and disappeared rapidly here and there, Naruto focused on the three things that Arashi told him to. Kizuna's shadow. No matter how fast Arashi went, there was always a shadow underneath his feet. The noise. Kizuna was fast, but so fast as to avoid creating noise. The noise of his feet on the arena floor, the noise of wind as Kizuna flew by. And the last and most important one. His own instincts.

 _There!_ Naruto swiftly turned his head and spun around a clothesline from Kizuna. The redhead stopped on a dime and looked at Naruto with a bewildered look. And then a grin broke out on his face and he turned to face Naruto fully. "Well, I didn't quite expect this."

"Well, what did you expect?"

"Someone not as good." Kizuna's arms blurred as he went through a set of handseals. "And that's the first I'm glad that I'm wrong." He spread his arms out and red and blue lightning began to spark and discharge around his limbs. "But I want to see even more."

"You should be careful what you wish for." Naruto let a smirk break out on his face. But on the inside, he was screaming. Kizuna was holding back!? _Damnit. Kurama. If things get drastic, I'm going to have to ask for your help._

 _ **You need only to ask.**_

The sound barrier shattered as Kizuna tore through the arena floor towards Naruto. In less than the blink of an eye, Kizuna had landed two, no four hits on Naruto's body. Naruto lifted his elbow and brought it down on Kizuna, who disappeared. Twisting around, Naruto launched a kick behind him. His foot went through Kizuna's afterimage. A loud boom echoed throughout the arena as Kizuna's foot smashed into his back.

Naruto spat out some blood and his eyes darted to the ground looking for a shadow. Just as he saw Kizuna's shadow, the redhead's foot smashed into the center of his chest. Then, Naruto felt multiple punches strike him in the back. Listening to his instincts, Naruto threw his fist backward and felt Kizuna duck underneath it and dig his forearm into Naruto's side. The Kumo shinobi lifted Naruto and then flipped him onto his back.

Just as he landed on the ground, Kizuna dropped kicked him. The ground tore and formed a trench as the force of Kizuna's kick threw Naruto into the arena wall. With a groan, Naruto pried himself free from the wall and almost immediately blocked Kizuna's kick with his arm. Naruto grit his teeth as his muscles rippled and ripped from the force of Kizuna's leg meeting with his arm. "Fuck!" A maniacal laugh escaped out of Kizuna as he drove the soles of his foot into Naruto's leg.

Whilst Kizuna was laughing like the asshole he was, Naruto threw a quick right handed haymaker into the Golden Boy's cheek. A dangerous look appeared on Kizuna's face as he caught Naruto's fist and punched him in the chest, hard. Naruto felt his ribs begin to crack and one of his bones, did break.

"Come on. Where was all that flair and cunning from earlier? Or did you play your one card already? The one trick that thought you could beat me with? Please. As if that little trick would be Kizuna Totsuhara."

"You think pretty highly of yourself!" Naruto grinded out through his gritted teeth as he locked arms with Kizuna. "Who the fuck do you think you-'" Kizuna slammed his head right into Naruto's nose. As Naruto clutched his broken nose, Kizuna kicked him in the stomach, sending the Namikaze to his knees.

"I'm Kizuna Totsuhara. Kumo has the Headsman. Well, I'm the Executioner." He made a brilliant display of lightning as he discharged even more lightning. "You? Who are you supposed to be?" He threw a noisy, crackling fist towards Naruto. A surprised look appeared on Kizuna's face as Naruto caught his fist. Naruto let out a pained scream as the lightning coursed through his body. Before he could even respond again, Kizuna was on the other side and threw two right handed haymakers into Naruto's side. _What the hell am I supposed to do here? He's too fast for me to even see his shadow and he's faster than sound so I can't fucking listen to that! What the fuck supposed to do!?_

 _ **You don't have to rely only counter attacking his speed brat.**_ Kurama said. _**Right now, you're only playing to strengths. Use your strengths. You're relying too much on your ability to counter his own abilities.**_

 _Take away his speed. Those combos of his. Sloppy._ Naruto threw his head back, barely avoiding a lightning enhanced elbow to the face. _If I can somehow prevent him from using his speed, I have a chance at beating him. But how do I do that?_

 _ **How else? Go for his legs.**_

 _That's easier said than done. Especially when your opponent can break the speed of fucking sound._ Naruto wiped the blood away from his mouth as Kizuna stood off in the distance, his arms spread.

"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work. I've already won. You might as well just give up. Heh. You know what this tournament is? A formality. From the moment this Chunin was announced, I had won." Kizuna declared. "But, as I am quite generous indeed, I shall give you a chance to maybe change this outcome."

Naruto's lip curled as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Kizuna narrowed his eyes. "I don't care what you think. I'm going to beat you." The Golden Boy snarled at Naruto and launched towards him, the arena floor tearing apart and lifting into the air forming a trail of debris behind Kizuna.

The Namikaze scion quickly went through a set of handseals. " _Wind Release: Final Breakthrough!"_ A ball of wind appeared in Kizuna's path. Of course, because he was going so fast, he couldn't stop himself in time and the Kumo's Golden Boy found himself getting cut by thousands of blades of wind. Still, Naruto wasn't done. He went through another set of seals and took a deep breath in. " _Wind Release: Fujin's Spears."_

As the wind began to dissipate, the wind spears flew at Kizuna at speeds nearing the speed of sound. With a loud roar, a massive bolt of lightning struck the arena floor and created a wall of electricity. That didn't stop the wind spears from splitting the bolt in half and hitting their target if Kizuna's scream of pain was of any indication.

As the wind and lightning disappeared Naruto went into attack mode and dashed right towards Kizuna whilst the latter was still stunned from his previous attack. The Kumo shinobi was cut and torn all over and it even seemed that his own lightning had electrocuted him. But he was far from being defeated. The glare on Kizuna's face only intensified.

The two of them charged at each and met in the middle of the arena with a loud boom. Their forearms crashing against each other. "That's a dirty trick. Going after my legs. But I guess this keeps things interesting."

"I've taken out your one advantage on me. Without your speed this'll be all too easy."

"Oh? Is that so?" Kizuna's smirk grew. "You're underestimating me there aren't you? I didn't get to be this strong with just my speed. Perhaps I'll show you."

"You should. After all, don't you think it's time that we both took this seriously?"

"Watch what you wish for." A smirk formed on both of their faces. Without any warning the two of them immediately jumped backwards, both of them going through a set of handseals.

" _Lightning Release: Lightning Annihilation!"_

" _Wind Release: Divine Wind!"_

* * *

 _Skydome Stands, Kumogakure_

 _2:35 p.m._

* * *

"Sayoko are you alright? Your hands are bleeding." Naruko picked up Sayoko's hands as they watched Naruto and Kizuna's jutsu clash. Sayoko looked down at her hands. They were clenched tight. She loosened them up and noticed the deep marks left by her fingernails. "Things are finally starting to look good for Naruto."

"Don't be so hasty." Arashi said and Sayoko's stomach dropped. To her right, Naruko squeezed her shoulder gently. "The real battle begins now. Whoever wins this skirmish has the best chance of winning the fight. Or they win the fight entirely. Whatever Naruto does, he cannot allow Kizuna to use his speed. If Kizuna is as fast as I think he is, then the chances of Naruto winning aren't good."

"That's right." Himiko chimed in, resting on her head on her fists. "Kizuna was dominating this match up even when he so obviously not this seriously. So who knows what would have happened if he took this seriously. But who knows? You can't ever count out Naruto."

"Naruto will win." Sayoko and Kisara stated at the same time. Immediately Sayoko's gaze shot to Kisara who was looking intently down at the fight below. Sayoko's eyes narrowed for a split second before she averted her gaze back to Naruto.

"Arashi, if you were Naruto how would you win this fight?" Naruko asked her brother. Sayoko grimaced as a particularly violent kick from Kizuna threw him into the ground.

"If I were Naruto you ask?" Arashi hummed. "Well, Naruto has the advantage in a more diverse set of Ninjutsu. Now, that doesn't automatically give him an advantage because Kizuna's control over his Lightning Release is rather impressive for someone of his age. Perks of being a Totsuhara I guess. That and having someone like Takahashi Tanaka as someone to learn under."

"Naruto's already done one thing that _I_ would have done." Himiko said. "Going for Kizuna's legs. Even if you can't stop him from moving, you can still prevent Kizuna from using his full speed and agility. That should allow you to counter his attacks and give you more time to come up with a strategy."

"Yes. Exactly." Arashi's blue eyes narrowed as Naruto's Rasengan collided with Kizuna's lightning enhanced fist. "Impossible." Everyone's eyes widened as Kizuna's hand _ate_ the Rasengan. Slowly ripping the ball of pure chakra apart. Naruto jumped back as Kizuna's hand began to eat up not only the ball of chakra, but the ground and the surrounding air as well. It was almost acting like a black hole.

The entire arena went silent as Kizuna strode forward, swallowing up anything in his way. Every jutsu Naruto used, fire, and wind, they all got eaten up. Sayoko felt her fists clench and her eyes see red as Kizuna laughed gleefully.

"I told to be careful what you wish for. And now you're going to be fucking regretting even trying to fuck with me." Kizuna's face twisted into an ugly sneer as he strutted across the arena floor.

"Shit. Arashi, is that what I think it is?" Himiko asked her brother. "I thought only Takahashi knew how to do that?"

Arashi let out an annoyed sound. "Tch. He does. He must've have taught Kizuna how to use it. That's irresponsible, entrusting a SS rank Kinjutsu to an inexperienced genin. Though it is a weaker version. Still, any version of _Absolute Obliteration_ is dangerous."

"What is he doing? Is he actually eating up the chakra?" Kisara asked. "Or is he absorbing it?"

"Neither." Arashi responded. "What Kizuna is doing right now is discharging superheated electricity from his body. Heated to the point where it'll melt almost anything it comes into contact with. From chakra, to even magical energy. Of course since this is weaker than the original, I don't know what it can and can't destroy."

"Is there any difference between the two versions?" Sasuke pondered.

"Yes, actually. From what I can see it's only a weaker version of Takahashi Tanaka's jutsu. His version, the electricity is superheated to the point where the electricity turns into plasma which, from I remember allows him to melt _absolutely_ everything."

"Is…is there any way to stop it?" Sayoko muttered as Naruto could do nothing but run from Kizuna's deadly power. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. She could see the gears turning in Naruto's head, but it didn't seem like he could come up with any ideas.

"There might be." Himiko said. "Natural chakra and Jinchuriki chakra right Arashi?" Her brother nodded and leaned back in his seat. "If Naruto can get some distance between them or distract Kizuna in some way, he'll have a chance to beat Kizuna."

"Yes. I suppose that is true." Arashi said. "But, Naruto is doing what's best for now. Run and hope that Kizuna runs out chakra. It isn't the best, or most exciting plan, but if Naruto wants to win, it's probably the only sure way that he can win. But knowing Naruto, he won't do it that way. He won't consider winning that way."

 _Isn't that why we love him though?_ A blush appeared on Sayoko's cheeks. Naruto's rejection of her was still fresh on her mind. She just couldn't stop herself from feeling this way towards him. You couldn't stop her from loving him. "And that's why he'll win." Sayoko didn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth because that was how she truly felt.

* * *

 _Skydome Floor, Kumogakure_

 _2:40 p.m._

* * *

There had to be some way to get around that stupidly overpowered jutsu of Kizuna's. Naruto knew it to be true. Just, how though? Normal Ninjutsu wouldn't work and Naruto was complete garbage at Genjutsu so that was also out of the question. And so was Taijutsu, for obvious reasons. _Gah! This is so annoying! Damnit, I need to figure something out soon._

 _ **Then it's time. Use my chakra.**_

 _Are you sure Kurama? We don't even know if that'll work or not. Then again, I suppose that it's better than nothing. Here goes._ Naruto stood still as Kurama's familiar chakra formed around him, he could feel several tails floating behind him. An amused Kizuna stood in front at the center of the arena. A giant crating had formed underneath him as he continued to eat up the surrounding area with his technique.

"Aren't you showing your best card too soon? Especially when it'll do nothing to me? I mean, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try all things considered. Nothing else works after all." Kizuna smirked and spread his arms out. For a moment, his technique faltered. Naruto blinked. Did he just see that right? It looked like his jutsu stopped melting the surrounding space for just a split second before resuming to eat up the arena floor.

 _Kurama. You saw that right?_

 _ **Yeah.**_

 _That looked like his jutsu stopped doing whatever the fuck it's doing. Maybe it has some sort of limit to how much it can eat? That gives me an idea._ A puzzled look appeared on Kizuna's face as the chakra cloak began to dissipate from Naruto's body. _How much chakra do I have? Nah, I have enough._ "Multi-shadow clone jutsu!"

"What are you trying to do now?" Kizuna called out as several hundred puffs of smoke signified the appearance of Naruto's clone army. "With this many clones your Chakra reserves are _fucked_ dude. You might as well just give up now man."

"You know Mr. Executioner," Naruto began. He reached into his weapons pouch. Kizuna's eye twitched as all of Naruto's clones all got ready to pounce. "I wonder, just how much that hand of yours can eat. Let's see, shall we?" Naruto tossed a quick kunai with an explosive tag attached to it.

One of Naruto's clones unleashed a quick fire jutsu, engulfing both Kizuna and the kunai. As the smoke cloud grew, all Naruto's clones began to blur through handseals whilst the original Naruto stood in the back, gathering chakra in his hand. With a loud whoop, Kizuna dispersed the smoke cloud and was immediately jumped by at least twenty Naruto's.

A bolt of lightning exploded from Kizuna's hand and through one of his clones. Immediately the clone to Naruto's right fell to his knees and clutched his head. For once, Naruto was actually glad that Arashi had taught him how to transfer the memories of his clones to other clones. Naruto felt _really_ grateful for that as several more of his clones disappeared from around him.

Whilst Kizuna was tearing through Naruto's army, the Namikaze scion had two more clones behind him, charging up their own Rasengan. Naruto flinched as a beam of electricity shot past his head and instantly vaporised the head of one of those clones. Kizuna skidded in front of him. Before the Golden Boy of Kumo could even do raise his hand, a violent gust of wind blew him backwards.

"Don't worry boss! We got your back." With a nod, Naruto looked down at the Rasengan in his hand. It was triple the size of what a normal Rasengan should be. Naruto knew that it wouldn't be enough. He needed more. Taking a deep breath, Naruto began to add in his wind natured chakra. During his one month of training, Arashi gave him the basic rundown on how to add his element. And that was all that Naruto needed. _Shit, what should I call this?_

 _ **Seriously? Think of that later. Win now.**_

 _Nah man, when I win I gotta have a cool name! Otherwise it won't stick when other people use it man!_ Kurama chuckled.

 _ **As if anyone would want to use your moves. I'm just glad you're back to normal.**_

 _Whaaat? What are you even talking about?_ Naruto looked down at his hand once more. The Rasengan had grown three times larger than it had been before and had also morphed into the shape of a giant shuriken. A loud shrill wind sound dominated the arena, overpowering even the chirping of the electricity that Kizuna's hand was discharging.

"Yo boss!" The clone behind him called him. He stepped up and stood beside the original. In his hand was an absolutely massive Rasengan. It was as large in diameter as Naruto was tall. And Naruto hoped that maybe, just maybe, this Rasengan would be large enough to overload Kizuna's _Lightning Annihilation_ technique.

"Are you ready?" His clone nodded. "Go, I'll be right behind you." Without any hesitation the clone was off and Naruto right at his heels. Several more clones joined the fray, each of them with a mini Rasengan in their hand. Some of the remaining clones did their best to help keep Kizuna busy.

"You seriously think that these fakers can keep me, Kumo's Executioner at bay!? Honestly, this is insulting!" He roared, electric spikes protruding from his body and impaling four Naruto clones at once.

The clone with the massive Rasengan leapt into the air, jumping on several of his fellow clones' bodies to propel himself forward. He looked so comical with the giant Rasengan in his hand that Naruto couldn't help but just laugh at how absurd it must've looked. One of the Naruto clones leapt at Kizuna and pinned him in place.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!? Let go of me!" Several more clones came and helped hold him down. "You think you can hold me!? Argh!" Kizuna ripped his hand free and held it up, ready to eat the giant Rasengan. "Bring it on!"

The moment the two attacks made contact with each other, a bright light engulfed the arena. It was so bright that Naruto had to look away. Despite this, if the clone's attack failed, Naruto couldn't give Kizuna any time to recharge his attack. Naruto had to end it now. With the light dissipating, Naruto leapt into the fray, shuriken Rasengan held high in his hand.

When the light finally faded, Naruto saw Kizuna clutching his burnt hand. The Golden Boy of Kumo looked up and in a last ditch effort, raised his hand. White electricity was still being discharged from Kizuna's hand, but it was waning. It was weak. Now was the moment that Naruto had been waiting for, the entire match. If Kizuna's attack backfired, then it would be his loss. But if Naruto failed to overload Kizuna's hand, then it would _his_ loss.

"This is the end Kizuna! _Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"_ Despite the gravity of the situation, Naruto couldn't help but slap himself in the face mentally.

As their attacks met, Naruto saw a little bit of fear appear in Kizuna's eyes as Naruto's annoyingly loud Rasenshuriken slowly, but surely began to overwhelm his own Lightning Annihilation. Naruto saw Kizuna try and divert more chakra into his hand to sustain his technique. But it was too little too late.

"No, Impossible! You-You shouldn't have this much fucking chakra! You cheating fuck!" Kizuna yelled out as his hand fizzled out and Naruto's technique struck him directly, enveloping him in a ball of densely packed, and stupidly sharp blades of wind. Naruto knew that at this point, he had won. Kizuna had lost. But barely. That last attack had drained Naruto of almost his entire chakra reserves.

Naruto fell to his knees, his breathing erratic and his heart rate was approaching dangerous levels. The fact that he was still conscious after using that much Chakra surprised Naruto. Lifting his head up, Naruto could see the storm of wind dissipating and Kizuna falling to the ground. He was still conscious, that much Naruto could see. But barely so. It probably took everything Kizuna had to keep himself awake. Huge and tiny cuts were all over Kizuna's body and his right arm was shriveled up and very pale. His hand was burned.

Beyond Kizuna, Naruto saw the Headsman appear in a flash of lightning. He looked down at the two of them before turning and addressing the crowd.

"The winner of the second match, is Naruto Namikaze of Konoha."

A silence fell upon the crowd. No one spoke. Suddenly, everyone turned their head to outside. Everyone was looking up at the dome. The sky had turned had an ashy grey and it looked like it was snowing. A violent rumbling sound shook the arena as the Skydome began to shake and shake. Panic set in among the crowd as people began to stream towards the exit, trampling upon anyone who was impeding their escape.

"Fucking Izaya." Takahashi muttered. He once again turned to address the crowd. Or what remained of the crowd. "Everyone remain calm and please stay in your seats. Do not leave." The rumbling sound grew louder and louder until whatever it was that was coming their way was right at their Skydome walls.

"What's going on?" Naruto muttered. Kizuna rolled over onto his back. "Kizuna. What is going on?"

"Fuck if I know. God, I can't feel my arm." His eyes burned with resentment as Kizuna levelled a glare at Naruto. "Oh, but when I heal up, I am coming after you! Oof!" Kizuna's eyes rolled into the back of his head as Takahashi kicked him in the side.

"Be quiet. Medic! Get him out of here." He then turned to Naruto. "To answer your question, the volcano just outside the city has begun to erupt. And I know just who's behind it." He muttered the last part with disdain. "Anyways, your brother and sister are here." Naruto turned his head to see Arashi and Himiko drop down to the arena floor.

"I assume you know who did this Takahashi?" Arashi asked as Himiko helped Naruto up and onto her shoulder. The Headsman nodded. "Did Izaya tell you he intended to do something like this?"

"I assumed that he was planning something, but I didn't think it would something like this."

"Are you saying that someone triggered a volcanic eruption!?" Naruto exclaimed, gasping a bit in pain. Both Arashi and Takahashi nodded. "H-how is that even possible?" Without any warning Takahashi turned and jumped through the dome

"Izaya Araraki isn't the most powerful Earth user alive without a good reason." Arashi explained. "But even I'm at a loss as to how Izaya was able to do something like that. But, I don't think that this is his main objective. It doesn't match what he told me. He said that he would start a war. A war that should've have been started a long time ago. Perhaps-'" Arashi's eyes widened with a start. His gaze immediately shot up towards the skybox. "It's a distraction."

"Arashi?" Himiko questioned.

"Get Naruto and the others away from here as fast possible. Hurry! Before shit hits the fan! And remember, keep father's kunai safe." Arashi commanded, throwing one of their father's patented Hiraishin Kunai towards the skybox. Himiko gulped and jumped up to the arena stands. There she handed Naruto over to Sasuke and Sakurai to lean on.

"Wait!" Naruko said. "What about Arashi?"

"Arashi will be fine. We just need to do as he says." Himiko said. Her voice quivered and for the first time in his life, Naruto knew that Himiko was afraid. "Come on. We need to go. Now. I've already sent Kakashi, Kisara and Yukihara to the perimeter. If we're quick enough, we can get there before shit hits the fan."

"What do you mean?" Sayoko asked. "I'm so confused, I have no idea what's going on right now."

"Honestly," Himiko began. "Neither do I. But right now, I do know that if we don't leave soon, we'll be caught in a crossfire."

"A war?" Naruto croaked. His throat was unbelievably dry. He felt really, really weak. He needed chakra. Badly. Himiko nodded solemnly.

And then the Skybox exploded.

* * *

 _Skybox, Skydome, Kumogakure_

 _2:51 p.m._

* * *

It all happened in less than a minute. Minato along with Yagura, the Mizukage, Gaou, the Raikage and Rasa, the Kazekage sat in the Skybox high above everyone else. Naruto had done well and defeated Gaou's son Kizuna and Minato couldn't have been prouder. He must've had a grin on his face the whole time Naruto fought. But then, the volcano erupted.

Gaou immediately jumped up and began to locate and relay orders to his commanders. From what Minato could gather of the situation, the volcano just outside of Kumogakure had for some reason erupted. If Gaou's panic was of any indication, the volcano erupting was either a coincidence or an attack on the city.

"An attack on the city doesn't make sense." Gaou said when Minato asked him what he thought of the situation. The Raikage's heterochromatic red and gold eyes narrowed as he thought of every possible "The defenses we put around the city should be more than enough to prevent the lava from steamrolling into the city and destroying everything. The only thing that makes sense is…"

Before Gaou could continue, the door exploded and at the same time, one of Minato's kunai's flew through the glass. Arashi appeared in front of Gaou, catching the body of one of the body guards stationed outside. Minato's son quickly set the man down and looked back at his father. Standing where there used to be a door and wall, was the Worldbreaker. Izaya Araraki.

"You know Arashi, I would've thought that someone as smart as you would've figured out what my plan was from the very beginning." Izaya said. The other kage in the room tensed up. Minato could say with some confidence that Arashi was more powerful than he was. And there was a good chance that Izaya was at the level of Arashi. "I would've liked this meeting of ours to have been a bit more…personal."

Without any warning, the floor collapsed. Before anyone could do even move, Izaya leapt upon Rasa's throat and crushed it. Minato's eyes narrowed as Izaya leapt towards Yagura and easily killed the boy. As he, Gaou and Arashi landed, Minato reached into his pocket for one of his Hiraishin kunai.

"Rasa and Yagura were never even here were they Izaya?" Minato called out. The blue haired Iwagakure shinobi didn't even break stride as he continued forward.

"Well, to a certain extent they were." He said. "That Yagura actually was someone named Yagura. Granted, they were a homeless street urchin I found rummaging through trash, but that's still _a_ Yagura. And Rasa? Oh I killed him before he even got here. The real Rasa should be rotting in the bottom of some ravine."

"Gaou-sama." Arashi whispered. "You need to run. He's going right after you. You die, my father and I will get blamed for it and it will ignite a war that would make the three before it looking like nothing more than children squabbling."

"How eloquently put Arashi my dear best friend!" Izaya called out. "But I am afraid that you overestimate the abilities of our dear friend Gaou Totsuhara." Both Minato and Arashi looked towards the Raikage. A small earthen spike had come out from the ground behind him and impaled Gaou through the leg. Minato realized with a start, that Gaou's skin was drying quickly and he began to turn into a statue. "And I'm a little hurt and insulted that you underestimate me, of all people. Now, as to where Shigure-chan and the Shibuki idiots are, I suppose they've gone home to their villages to see if what I told them was right. Or in the case of the Shibuki idiots, to some ravine to pick up the body of their beloved Kazekage."

As the stadium had finally become empty, Kumogakure Shinobi began to stream into the stadium.

"Ah, I see we have some interlopers. It appears my time here is done. Now, if you would excuse me, for you see, my sister's school day has just ended, but it appears that there is no one to pick her up. So I must go. I truly wish that I could stay longer. But alas, good things always end." And with that, Izaya crumbled into dust.

With the Kumo shinobi starting to surround them, Arashi pointed to the kunai lying in the rubble. It was one of Minato's specialty Kunai. Before something worse happened, Minato and Arashi teleported to the kunai in Himiko's pocket.

"Arashi!?" Naruko yelped, scrambling to her feet as her father and brother suddenly appeared in front of them. Minato quickly surveyed the area and gave a sigh of relief. His bodyguard detail was still intact, that meant that either Izaya spared them because he didn't see as any sort a threat, or he did something.

Minato didn't want to think about the latter.

"Where are we?" He asked instead.

"We made it just outside the city limits." Himiko answered. "From what I could, Iwagakure shinobi dressed as Konoha shinobi began to pop up and attack the Kumogakure military police." She turned to Arashi. "This was Izaya's plan wasn't it? Blame Konoha for an attack on Kumogakure?"

"I figured as much. I just couldn't figure out how and when he was going to do it." Arashi replied bitterly. "It was the easiest answer apparently. Of course it would've been on the day of the tournament. When else could it possibly have been?" He muttered to himself angrily.

"There's no point in dwelling on that now. Our priority should be to return to the village as quickly as possible. We need to hurry." Minato commanded.

Right now was not the time for regrets. What was needed was a clear course of action and the only option they had was to return to the village.

Minato had hoped that his children would never have to know the horrors of war. It seemed that someone else had different ideas.

* * *

 **(Aozora Jumping Heart-Aquors-Love Live! Sunshine!)**

* * *

 **And we are back! I intended to have this up earlier, but due to internet issues I was not able to. And also because I've been caught up in the Fate/ Grand Order craziness and Keijo hype machine**


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